Unity
by LacePendragon
Summary: Six years after the team disbanded after the events of 'Unite and Strike', the Battle Force 5 is brought back together when Rawkus comes calling. The balance is falling, the ancient ones are rising, and all that they know may yet come apart. New monsters, new dynamics, and new relationships mean Battle Force 5 has their work cut out for them.
1. The Return of Rawkus

**Author's Note:** It might seem kind of strange, to write a fic for a dead fandom, especially one of such depth and length. But you know what? There are fans left in the BF5 world, and plenty more coming in as time goes on. I wanted to write this fic for a long time, and it was my friends who encouraged me to finally do it. So thank you to everyone who reads and follows along with this fic, and thank you to everyone who encouraged me to write it. This one's for you.

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 **Chapter One: The Return of Rawkus**

Vert leaned over the desk down in the garage to study the designs he and Zoom had drawn for this custom car a tourist had ordered last time he'd been in town. It wasn't too difficult a job – mostly the guy just wanted his car to get some body work and a new paint job – but the paint itself was difficult. Zoom would have to freehand at least a few of the details around the wheels, but Vert didn't think that would be a problem for him. Zoom had steady hands and a great eye for detail. Always had.

Speaking of which… Vert looked up from the desk-table in the garage and looked around. There was no sign of Zoom. The little administrative area in the back corner was empty but for the laptop and a bunch of papers, and the various cars they were currently working on lumbered in the half-shadows of the garage, nothing but silent, slumbering beasts.

But no Zoom.

"Babe?" called Vert, straightening up. He frowned a bit, brow furrowing. Where was Zoom? He should have been down here by now. He headed toward the stairs and headed up them, back into the one-floor house over the garage that Vert had called home for years now.

He poked into the house and looked around at the living area the door led in to. Nothing. He kept walking, heading through the kitchen and back toward the long array of bedrooms that had once housed all of their friends. These days, two of those rooms were used for storage and the rest were empty, bar the master bedroom.

Vert wondered if that'd change soon.

He still hadn't brought it up with Zoom.

He should.

At some point, anyway.

Vert reached the master bedroom and rested a hand on the door, pushing it open. He could hear the shower of the en-suite going now, and he cracked a smile. Of course, Zoom was in the shower. That'd explain why he hadn't come downstairs yet.

With a good-natured roll of his eyes, Vert crossed the wooden floor of their shared bedroom, avoiding the pile of dirty laundry the two hadn't gotten around to washing yet, and pushed open the door to the bathroom.

From behind the smoky glass of the shower wall and door, Vert could hear Zoom singing quietly. It was a soft song – a ballad that Vert recognized from the Top 40 – and Zoom had it pretty well in pitch. Vert chuckled as he shut the door and leaned back against it, humming a few bars with Zoom. Zoom's singing stopped.

"Hey, Vert," said Zoom, a grin in his voice. His silhouette shifted behind the glass and Vert thought he'd stuck his head under the water to rinse. "You need something or you just wanna join me?"

Vert hummed, letting his glaze slide over Zoom's silhouetted figure. "Tempting," he said. "But I think I'll pass for now."

"Aw," said Zoom. They both laughed and, a moment later, the water for the shower turned off. "So, what, just came to grab me?"

"Yeah, we've got to finalize the design on that firebird today," said Vert. He watched as Zoom stepped out of the shower, naked as the day he was born bar the simple gold band he wore on his left hand. Vert stepped to the side so Zoom could grab a towel to dry himself off with. His gaze swept Zoom's form, lingering on the Sentient scout symbol on his left shoulder and the gold and red dragon that wrapped around the upper half of his right arm, shoulder and blade included.

When Zoom lifted his head, half covered by a towel, Vert stepped forward and pulled him into a loose hug, hands at Zoom's still damp waist.

"Morning, husband," murmured Vert, leaning forward to kiss Zoom. Zoom let go of the towel and cupped Vert's face, thumb running over the soul patch Vert had taken to wearing as of late.

"Morning, husband," replied Zoom. The two laughed. Almost two years and Vert still wasn't over that. His own wedding ring had become a part of him, and seeing the matching ring on Zoom's finger never failed to make him smile. "You wanna let me go so I can get dressed?"

"Aw, can't you just work like this?" teased Vert.

Zoom snorted. "With how cold you keep the garage? Not likely." He wiggled out of Vert's arms, leaving a damp spot on Vert's chest, and slipped past Vert, heading back for the bedroom. "What're we even doing to that firebird?" called Zoom.

Vert followed Zoom back into the bedroom and leaned in the doorway, arms folded loosely over his chest. He blew his hair out of his face and watched Zoom dig around for his clothes, mind running over everything the two had to do today.

"There's some body work I need to finish before I can go back to the quarter panels on that challenger we just got in," said Vert. Zoom nodded, his hair – long enough now to pull into a small ponytail – hanging in his face, and tugged on a shirt. Vert was pretty sure it was one of his. He didn't really mind. Zoom looked good in his colours. "Then, you need to finalize the paint you're doing for both of them. Plus, that motorcycle is in the paint booth. You should probably finish that out before the firebird is ready to go in."

Zoom stretched and gave a little grin. "Sure thing," he said. He slipped past Vert, heading for the bedroom door, and rested a hand on the door frame. "You coming?"

Vert gave a quiet chuckle and shook his head. "Yeah," he said. "I'm coming." He followed Zoom downstairs and into the garage, where Zoom clicked on the stereo and started humming along, his hips swaying to the music as he pulled out his sketchbook from the desk and started working on the firebird design. Vert watched a tad longer than was strictly necessary, then turned and started on his own work.

They worked in comfortable silence, beyond the radio, Zoom's humming and Vert's occasional singing the only things to break the rhythm. Even then, that was part of how they worked, and it mostly just led to quiet laughter and some pretty great harmonies.

Together, they passed the time until almost noon, both of them doing their own thing. Vert managed to finish up with the firebird and Zoom disappeared into the paint booth to finish up the motorcycle at some point. He reappeared, paint in his hair and a grin on his face, just before noon.

"I think it's good," said Zoom, cleaning off his hands with a rag. Vert cracked a smile at Zoom and pushed off the firebird, strolling toward Zoom to comb his fingers through Zoom's hair. "What?" asked Zoom, furrowing his brow.

"You have paint in your hair," said Vert, teasing. He dragged his fingers through Zoom's hair again and got most of it, then pressed a kiss to Zoom's forehead. Zoom grinned at him and slid his hands around Vert's waist, humming. Vert managed to get the rest of the paint and stole the rag from behind himself, wiping off his own hands and tossing it onto one of the benches.

"I was thinking Zeke's for lunch?" asked Vert.

Zoom nodded. "Yeah, we haven't been there in a bit." He stepped back from Vert and stretched, yawning. Vert grinned. It was true, they didn't go there as much anymore, not since they'd learned how to cook, at least. Zoom was still the better baker, but Vert made up for it by being excellent at meat preparation, which had earned him a _lot_ of stupid jokes from Zoom. The guy was as bad as Spinner for puns some days.

The two headed to their shared convertible, red with white detailing and black leather interior, but before they could get in, there was a noise from the garage. Both of them paused and looked up. The noise started quiet, muffled, and Vert wondered if it wasn't the carbon monoxide alarm.

Then, the sound grew stronger, louder, and Vert realized what the noise was, and that he hadn't heard that sound in almost six years.

"That's the Hub alarm," said Zoom, just before the noise reached a crescendo. He sounded as shocked as Vert felt, and when the two looked to each other, they both had wide, confused eyes. Together, they turned and bolted for the lift down into the Battle Force 5 Hub, a place Vert hadn't seen in years.

God, when was the last time they'd even gone down here other than to check up on the cars?

The lift shuddered a bit as it went down and Vert stumbled into Zoom, who caught him. Sure enough, the Hub alarm blared at full force down here, and Vert ran over to the computers to try and boot them up and figure out what was going on.

As he tapped at the screens, Zoom moved behind him, and Vert focused his attention on the screens.

"Um, Vert?" asked Zoom.

Vert cocked his head, only half listening as he studied the screens. Without Sage, Sherman, or Tezz to read them, there wasn't much in the way of indicators as to what was going on. "What's up?" he asked over his shoulder at Zoom.

"Rawkus is here."

Vert froze, eyes growing wide, then turned and looked past Zoom to see Rawkus, arms folded over his massive chest, staring down at them both with his glowing green eyes. He swallowed hard and stepped up next to Zoom, resting a hand on Zoom's shoulder.

"Rawkus," said Vert. "What are you doing here?"

"The balance of the multiverse has shifted once again, and as members of Battle Force 5, it is your duty to restore it," said Rawkus.

Zoom sighed. "Couldn't you just come to say 'hi' once in a while?" he asked. He looked up at Rawkus, who narrowed his eyes.

"No," said Rawkus. Zoom rolled his eyes and looked up at Vert, who tried and failed to hide his grin. "Get dressed and get in your vehicles. We're going into the multiverse."

Vert and Zoom exchanged a look and Vert spoke up. "We don't have any keys," said Vert. When the sentients had reunited and Sage's people were saved, they'd taken all the keys with them.

Rawkus shook his head. "The battle keys are currently corrupt and cannot be used safely for transportation. I will be taking you into a battle zone."

Zoom jogged over to where the uniforms were stored while Vert called up their vehicles from the second storey of the Hub, which Sage had created just before she'd returned to the Blue Sentient home world for good.

When Zoom returned, Vert had their vehicles prepped, and Zoom tossed Vert his uniform. They suited up, Vert in red and Zoom is yellow. Their uniforms had changed over the years, taking on parts of one another as they went. The red in Zoom's uniform was now the same colour as Vert's, and there was much more of it as well. The whites of his boots came over his knees now, a singular unit that made him well-suited to any sort of riding or racing.

Vert's uniform, by contrast, had picked up the white in Zoom's uniform for the piping in his own – the edges of his shoulder pads and other parts of his shock suit, and the flames on his uniform matched Zoom's more now.

They looked every bit the matching pair, right down to the streaks of yellow in Vert's Saber, and the streaks of red in Zoom's Chopper.

"Ready?" asked Rawkus. He eyed their uniforms and their vehicles with a raised stony eyebrow. Vert wondered if Rawkus had never seen the full extent of their changed uniforms and vehicles.

"As we'll ever be," said Zoom. He swung onto the Chopper and grabbed his helmet, tugging it on. Two symbols on it, these days. One for scout, one for leader, the latter much paler, much subtler, than the former.

"Right," said Vert. He slipped into the Saber, which had a similar patterning, and before he closed the pod, he asked, "What is all this about?"

Rawkus shook his head. "Sage can explain it better than myself." He turned and walked out of the Hub, allowing Vert and Zoom to follow after him, albeit much more slowly than they would have with his motorcycle.

Rawkus got back on his motorcycle outside the Hub and led them forward, opening a portal as they went. Vert and Zoom passed through it together, casting one last glance at each other before flashing through the swirling blue and into the battle zone.

Vert took a deep breath as they went.

Time to find out what had brought Rawkus to their little corner of the multiverse.

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 **Author's Note:** Reviews are lovely!


	2. Sage's Explanation

**Author's Note:** Feedback is always welcome!

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 **Chapter 2: Sage's Explanation**

The other side of the portal brought forth a battle zone that Vert had never seen before. Shattered screens, much like the computer screens of the Hub, or the memory panes he'd seen during Krytus' resurrection on the Blue Sentient home world. There were hundreds, if not thousands of them, all shifting and flickering with images and scenes from lifetimes and people that Vert had never lived and never met.

"Woah," breathed Zoom, as their vehicles slowed to a stop inside the zone. Above the screens, which floated above the hard, uneven, and dark ground at varying heights, was the grey-washed and blank sky. It was as though everything about the zone was dull and dreary, but for the colours in the screens and panes. Even they seemed fairly dull in comparison to Rawkus' green glow.

And, as Vert watched, that glow seemed to dim and grow dull, just as the colours of the Saber, the Chopper, and himself and Zoom seemed to dim and grow dull as well.

"Woah is right," said Vert. As they passed a few of the screens, Vert saw them flicker to a few of his own memories – the first time he'd met the Battle Force, saving Sage, and his own wedding. The dull colours washed out the memories, despite the laughter in his and Zoom's faces as they twirled around each other on that fateful day. "What is this place?"

Rawkus led them forward. He didn't turn, but he spoke nonetheless. "The memory zone is one of the most powerful zones in the multiverse. It's dullness and storms mark the instability of the multiverse."

"Then why bring us here?" asked Zoom. He pulled up next to Vert and the two drove side-by-side. "Why show us this?"

"You cannot be tracked or monitored in this zone by any creature in the multiverse. What Sage is going to tell you cannot fall into the wrong hands," said Rawkus. Then, in a lower voice, "And we cannot risk warning _them._ "

Vert and Zoom exchanged a look and Zoom mouthed 'them?' to Vert. Vert shrugged. He didn't have a clue, either. He remembered, years ago, Sage mentioning an enemy worse that the Reds, but he'd always figured that was the Alpha Code. He couldn't think of anything else that this could be, unless it was something neither Sage, nor Rawkus, had ever thought of.

As the vehicles passed through the last of the nearby screens, Vert caught sight of a familiar shade of blue he'd often wondered if he'd ever see again. He pulled his car to a stop and leaped out, then ran for Sage as she turned to face them, throwing his arms around her in a tight hug. She clung back just as tightly, holding him close despite her smaller stature.

"Sage," said Zoom, racing forward to hug her as well. "It's been way too long."

"Almost six years," said Sage, softly. She studied them both as they stood next to each other and smiled. "It is good to see you both. I am sorry that we haven't conversed more often." She frowned, slight, but there all the same. "I've worried about you while I ran the council."

"We worried about you too, Sage," said Vert. "But you said it yourself, it was safer to keep the portals closed, that way nothing got wind of what we could do." He smiled at Sage and rested a hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad to see you again."

"Yeah, but talk about freaky circumstances," said Zoom. He looked over his shoulder to Rawkus and then looked back to Sage, frowning. "Sending Rawkus to bring us to a secret battle zone, then hiding us in all these screens?" He shook his head, then combed his fingers back through his hair. It was long enough now that he often wore it in a low ponytail, which he was currently doing. "What's going on?"

"Yeah," said Vert, nodding. He frowned at Sage and rubbed at his face, ignoring the stubble around his jawline and the soul patch on his chin. Even after six months, he was still adjusting to them both. "This seems strange, even for Mr. Mysterious over there." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder to Rawkus, who scoffed. Zoom snickered.

Sage floated into the air and the screens around her shifted forward and changed colour and shape. Purple figures, mostly shadow and dust, appeared in them, their glowing golden eyes, almost like fire, were their only distinguishing feature. If Vert wasn't positive Sage was about to say otherwise, he would have thought the strange figures were just constellations.

"Sark, Sentient, and Vandal combined are nothing compared to the threat which has awoken," said Sage. Her eyes glowed and the screens grew bigger, showcasing past battles fought by sentients – some red, some blue, some both. There were other creatures like Rawkus, albeit with different colours, and there were monsters, great beasts, that were only briefly glimpsed before they disappeared. At the heart of it all, Vert saw Rawkus' power stone, glowing and pulsing at the centre of the multiverse. Saw how it expanded to form Rawkus, and watched as Rawkus and multi-coloured sentients pushed forward and drove the purple shadows and their nebula bodies into a void-like dimension that Vert hoped he'd never visit personally.

Fear trickled down his spine like a living thing as he stared at the screens, which slowly grew dim. He looked to Zoom, who reached out and caught his hand, squeezing tightly. Vert squeezed back. The two stepped closer as Sage floated back down.

"The Ancient Ones," she said. There was a graveness to her voice that made Vert swallow hard and Zoom swallow audibly. "Five ancient beings created from the very stars themselves. Incredibly intelligent, incredibly powerful, and driven only to gather knowledge and to consume." She stared at them both, looking impossibly small as she spoke. "Rawkus was created to defeat them and to keep the balance so that they would never rise again."

"But?" prompted Zoom, sounding as scared as Vert felt. His heart pounded in his ears and he wondered if the others could hear the fear, because it was so loud in Vert's veins he was positive it couldn't just be inside him.

"The universe fell out of balance," said Rawkus, his gravelly, booming voice catching both of them off guard. Vert and Zoom jumped and then turned, keeping their hands laced tightly together as they did. No heat passed through their shock suits, but the pressure grounded Vert and he knew it grounded Zoom as well.

"How?" asked Zoom.

Rawkus and Sage exchanged a glance as Sage floated over to Rawkus. They stood next to each other, Rawkus on the ground and Sage floating a foot off it.

"The Alpha Code," said Sage.

"You mean the freaky thing that turned Zemerik and Zug green?" asked Zoom, cocking his head to one side.

Sage nodded. "Yes, you see," she gestured to the screens as they lit up again. "The Alpha Code was created by the Karmordials – a group of ancient beings created by the Ancient Ones as spies and missionaries," said Sage. She hesitated, looking up at Rawkus, before adding, "The Karmordials created the Sentients, just as they were created before us. When their power grew too great, and their jealousy and rage toward the Sentients grew too large, we locked them away with help from the Penta Warriors." She gestured to the screens, which showed the multi-coloured sentients fighting back against rock creatures.

"We locked them away in the Primodiverse and hoped that would be the end," said Sage. The screens went dark, then lit up once more with images of a great gate. "However, the Meta Key was found by Zorak and Zemerik alongside the other Alpha Sark. They broke open the gate. While the Council of Five and Rawkus were able to close the gate, the imbalance in energies in the multiverse grew too strong."

"The prison for the Ancient Ones grew weak, and they have begun to break through," said Rawkus. "It is only a matter of time before they break free completely and wreak havoc across the multiverse once more."

Vert swallowed hard, reeling at all the information. Meta Key? Primodiverse? How was he supposed to keep track of it all?

"It's time to regroup Battle Force 5 and take action to stop the Ancient Ones and save the multiverse once and for all," said Sage. She clenched her hands in front of her in a very human-like gesture. "If the Ancient Ones are not stopped, it could mean the end of the multiverse as we know it."

"What else is new?" asked Zoom with a slight scoff. He grinned up at Vert, fear in his eyes but him hiding it well enough. "We've saved the multiverse before, we can do it again." He looked to Sage. "What do we do, exactly?"

"The Ancient Ones have yet to break free of their prison," said Sage. "If you can find the Meta Key and seal their prison once more, you will prevent them from ever escaping."

"What happens if they do escape?" asked Vert, narrowing his eyes.

"The Ancient Ones are powerful. The only way to defeat the five of them is to separate them." Sage gestured to a screen, which showcased five glowing purple energies forming together. "Their powers allow them to gain energy from one another."

Zoom folded his arms over his chest, taking his hand back. Vert pretended not to miss it. "Is this like the Red Sentients where if we shatter them, they'll just come back?" he asked.

"No," said Sage. "But in order to defeat them, you must send them back to their prison." She frowned, looking away from them. "I fear for the multiverse, with their strength."

"We can do this," said Vert.

"No," said Sage. Vert and Zoom both started. " _You_ can do this. This is where we part ways."

"But, Sage," started Vert.

Sage held up her hand. "My people are too valuable to be lost again, Vert. We must close the portal networks connecting our two planets to the rest of the multiverse. Our energy signatures will be beacons for the Ancient Ones. They will attack us first if given the chance." She shook her head, looking surprisingly human despite their six years, and millions of years, apart. "I am sorry. I wish I could come with you."

"We're out of time," said Rawkus. The sky above them rumbled. Lightning flashed in the distance and thunder boomed across the clouds. Everything turned slightly purple. "We need to go, Sage."

Sage held out her hand to the vehicle behind her and called forth a container that looked like a larger data log. "I have some things for you, before I go." She pulled out a data log from the container. "This data log contains everything I have told you and everything I could not. It is invaluable for your task."

Vert took the data log and held it close, cradling it carefully.

Sage pulled out a fuser from the container. "This is a stabilized fuser. It is charged through portal crossings." She looked Vert in the eye as she said, "It can have multiple charges in a battle. But its _very first_ charge will change the composition of the two vehicles fused forever. Choose wisely."

Vert took the fuser as well. He only hoped the change would be worth the risk.

Sage pulled a third item from the container and looked to Zoom. "Do you still have the Mobi?" she asked. Zoom nodded. Sage handed up a small pentagon shaped cell. "This will allow the Mobi to upgrade each of your vehicles twice. The first is necessary for your mission. The second is only to be used if all else is lost. Do not use the second until you must, for it will turn your vehicles into a beacon for the Ancient Ones to track."

Zoom took the cell and nodded.

"This is a skeleton key," said Sage, holding up a battle key that was partially translucent and had blue and red lines running through it, much like the Sentients. "Give it a purpose or give it coordinates and it will take you anywhere in the multiverse." She handed it to Zoom, who held it tightly. "And finally," she said. She set down the container and held her hands to her chest, just as she had almost eight years ago, when this had all started.

A pentagon of power cells appeared between her hands.

"More power cells?" guessed Vert, eyes growing wide.

Sage shook her head. "Sub-cells. They rely on other cells for their charge. They cannot survive long term in a battle zone alone. Perhaps an hour, or two, at most." She dropped the pentagon into Vert's hands. "For Tezz and AJ."

"What about the other three?" asked Zoom.

"That is up to you," said Sage. She took both of them by a shoulder and looked at them both with fear naked in her eyes. "Stop the Ancient Ones before they can awaken. I do not know if you can defeat them, should they rise."

Vert shifted his things so he could rest one hand on Sage's. "We can do this, Sage. We've saved the multiverse before, we'll do it again."

Sage nodded. "Perhaps," she agreed. "But while you have won many battles, and fought in several wars, you have never faced an enemy like this." Her glow seemed to dim as the lightning grew stronger. "Regather Battle Force 5, awaken the Hub, and stop this war before it can start. When it is over, I will find you."

"We need to go," said Rawkus. "Now."

Sage pulled them both into a hug and stepped back. Then, she tossed them a pentagon-shaped communicator, red and blue, just like the Sentients. "If things grow dire, send the Council a message and I will help in any way I can."

"That goes both ways," said Vert. "If you need us, call. We'll find a way there." He clutched the communicator close.

Sage nodded. Then, she turned to Rawkus and he nodded as well. He climbed back onto his bike and Sage climbed into the small Mobi that was behind her.

"I will assist you in any way I can," said Rawkus. "The Ancient Ones could never bring balance to the multiverse."

"Does this mean you're on our side for this one?" asked Zoom, somewhat jokingly.

Rawkus narrowed his eyes at them both and nodded. "Yes."

With that, he and Sage drove away, disappearing into the shadows.

Vert and Zoom exchanged a glance and Vert nudged Zoom's shoulder, then nodded toward the portal that had opened behind their cars.

"Come on," said Vert, his heart loud in his ears and his stomach churning. "We have work to do."

Together, the two climbed back into their vehicles, stored their gifts from Sage, and went back to Earth.

It was time to make a few calls.


	3. Battle Force 5

**Author's Note:** And so we continue along! I think I'm gonna update this every other week. It's easier on my schedule. Cheers! Remember to review if you feel up to it!

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 **Chapter 3: Battle Force 5**

Back on Earth, Vert and Zoom set down everything Sage had given them and methodically stripped out of their uniforms. Once they were back to their regular clothes, Vert stumbled over to Zoom, slipped his arms around Zoom's waist, and buried his face in the crook of Zoom's neck. Zoom clung back just as tightly, sniffling against his shoulder.

The two stood there for a time, neither one speaking, neither one moving, just reveling in the contact between one another. After a long while, Vert pulled back from Zoom and took a deep breath. Zoom looked up at him, his hair falling in his face. Vert reached out and brushed Zoom's bangs from his face. He pressed a kiss to Zoom's forehead before resting his own against Zoom's.

"You good?" asked Zoom, winding his arms around Vert's neck.

Vert gave a shaky nod. "Yeah," he said, closing his eyes. He took a deep breath. "Just didn't expect to go back, after I retired from the Council of Five."

Zoom pressed a kiss to Vert's cheek and nuzzled the spot afterwards. He brushed back Vert's hair from his face and frowned at him, more thoughtful and worried than anything else. He remembered how bad Vert had gotten during the war on Krytus and his reds. Zoom remembered the nightmares, the anxiety attacks, the weight loss. He remembered seeing Vert stumble in a training session, remembered picking up Vert only to realize the guy was a good twenty pounds lighter than he should have been.

Remembered realizing, in that moment, why Vert had been hiding himself from intimacy. It had been so Zoom didn't realize anything was wrong.

He was fine, now. Sometimes they had nightmares, even six years later. Sometimes, visions of the past swam up and captured one or both of them in the night. Those were the hardest nights, when neither one of them could leave the past in the past, but they were far and few between, these days.

Zoom had a feeling that would all be coming back now.

"So, what do you want to do?" asked Zoom.

Vert pulled back from Zoom and smiled shakily at him. There was a shifting in his stance, in his eyes, in his very _being_. Vert Wheeler, the husband, took a back seat, and Vert Wheeler, leader of Battle Force 5, slid to the surface. Zoom smiled crookedly when he noticed.

Good. He'd wondered if Vert could still remember how to lead. It'd been years since he'd led anyone – they were equals, after all.

"Let's call the team," said Vert. He stepped over to the computers and pulled up their old commlink frequencies. When the team had split up, they'd kept their watches. Zoom only hoped that most of them still had their watches. He had no idea.

The call went out and Zoom stepped up to Vert, sliding an arm around Vert's waist and resting his head on Vert's shoulder. The two watched the signal, wondering whether or not anyone would pick up before the signal went to idle once more.

Zoom also wondered, as he watched the signal, how everything would work if – _when_ – the team did get back together. Vert minimized his problems pretty badly when he thought other things were more important. It was something even two years of marriage hadn't changed completely. If Vert started up this time, Zoom could probably stop him, but it might not work long term.

There was a lot to figure out. Sleeping arrangements. Changing relationships. The fact that none of them had seen each other in two years – not since the wedding. It was a lot of work.

AJ's commlink picked up. AJ and Tezz appeared on the screen and Zoom and Vert's eyebrows hit their hairlines.

"Dude!" said AJ. "What's up?"

"AJ, please," said Tezz, flipping his bangs – and Zoom _really_ wanted to say something about the fact that Tezz was still sporting emo bangs. "Is there an emergency in Handler's Corners?"

"Why are you two on the same commlink?" asked Vert, cocking his head.

AJ and Tezz looked to each other, then looked back at the screen. "We live together," they said, together. Vert and Zoom looked to one another, neither one knowing quite how to broach that subject. It ended up being Vert who said something.

"Okay, _why?_ " asked Vert.

"I like the cold; Canada seemed to have sufficient cold," said Tezz, shrugging. AJ snickered behind his hand and flipped his bangs out of his eyes. They were shorter these days, but still made him look younger than Vert, despite having six months on him.

"Now, is there a specific reason you contacted us via Battle Force 5 commlinks?" asked Tezz, raising an eyebrow at Vert.

"Rawkus called us," said Zoom. AJ let out a low whistle. "Yeah," said Zoom, nodding. "And he took us to Sage."

"What? Why?" asked AJ.

Vert folded his arms and Zoom rested a hand on his shoulder, looking up at Vert as the other man sighed.

"It's a long story, but the short of it is that there's a new enemy even worse than the Red Sentients headed our way, and if we don't stop it, they're going to take down the multiverse, and earth, a lot faster than the Reds ever could," said Vert. He sighed again, combed his fingers back through his hair, then straightened his shoulders. "We need to regroup Battle Force 5."

AJ and Tezz both nodded.

"When do you need us there?" asked AJ. "We can get on the next plane or something, eh, Tezz?" He nudged Tezz and Tezz gave another nod.

"Of course," said Tezz. "Where would the team be without its latest additions?"

Vert chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah, you two are pretty important." He smiled at them. "Get down here as soon as you can, all right? We can give you your old rooms." AJ and Tezz exchanged another one of those looks they kept exchanging, and Zoom wondered what he and Vert were missing.

There was something. He just couldn't place what. Oh well, they'd probably figure it out once the two of them got here.

AJ and Tezz hung up with a quick goodbye and Zoom turned to Vert to ask him if he knew what was up with AJ and Tezz. Before he got the chance, another commlink picked up, this time the Cortez brothers.

After a quick explanation of what was going on, Sherman gave a low whistle and shook his head.

"That's freaky, man," said Spinner. "A whole new enemy?" He sighed and flopped back on the couch he and Sherman were sitting on. "I thought this was over." He blew his bangs from his eyes.

Zoom shrugged. "Sorry, dude. Guess we have one last fight before we're done."

"We'll catch a plane as soon as we can," said Sherman. "We just have to make sure we can take our work with us." He rubbed his jawline, which was sporting a shadow of stubble. "I'll have to talk to Viv, make sure she knows what's going on, so she can take care of the girls."

Vert nodded. "Yeah," he said. "They're, what, a year and a half now?"

Sherman chuckled. "Yeah, about."

"I'll have to call Jax," said Spinner. "They don't know about the BF5 stuff, but I'll tell them I'm going up to work on my old job at the test centre." He looked pained as he said it. "No good time or place to explain the BF5 to them." Sherman laid a hand on Spinner's shoulder and looked back to the commlink's screen.

"We'll be there as soon as we can," said Sherman.

Vert and Zoom nodded and the connection was cut. Vert started up the calls to Agura and Stanford again, then set to work on doing maintenance checks on the vehicles. Zoom watched him move around from vehicle to vehicle, leaning against the Saber as he waited for one of the remaining members to pick up.

It took almost half an hour of Zoom and Vert working together on vehicle maintenance – Zoom having joined in when it became obvious that no one was going to pick up anytime soon – before Stanford finally picked up.

"You know, I keep my cell phone on more reliably, love," said Stanford. Zoom grinned and leaned against the Saber while he looked to the screen.

"Hi, Stanford," he said, tone teasing. "You know, that'd be useful if we still had your number."

Stanford blinked, opened his mouth to protest, then nodded. "That's fair, that's fair." He chuckled and shook his head, slicking back his hair with one hand. His fauxhawk was much less pronounced these days, but it was still a mainstay of his hairstyle, and his nose stud was new. "Please tell me we're not going to Vandal."

"Still hate that planet?" asked Zoom, still teasing. Stanford gave him a flat look. "Shouldn't be," said Zoom. "But you need to get down here, dude." Zoom shook his head. "The whole multiverse is in trouble."

Stanford sighed. "Again?" he asked, sounding tired. Zoom nodded. "All right, love. I'll be there as soon as I can." He hesitated, frowned, then said, "Is uh, Agura coming?"

Vert rested a hand on Zoom's shoulder. "We don't know. She hasn't picked up yet."

Stanford nodded and Zoom could tell he was trying not to look disappointed. Another oddity. Another thing to figure out. God, there were a lot of them, these days. "Right, well, I'll be over as soon as I can. Just have to settle a few things. Cheers, mates." He gave a little salute, then signed off.

"That just leaves Agura," said Vert. He looked at Zoom and Zoom looked up at him, blowing his bangs out of his eyes. "You think she'll pick up?"

As if to answer their question, a message came through on the commlinks. 'Can't pick up. Spinner briefed me. Will be there soon. – Agura'.

"Well, guess that's, that," said Vert. Zoom nodded and leaned back against Vert, humming as he tilted his head back to rest against Vert's shoulder. Vert slid his arms around Zoom's waist and hummed, pressing a kiss to his hair.

"We should probably set up their rooms," said Zoom. He didn't move, neither did Vert. They both stood there, waiting for the other to say what was on both of their minds. But Zoom didn't want to acknowledge it. Didn't want to break what was left of their domestic life, their peace. Letting that go wasn't going to be easy, and as much as Zoom missed his friends and was looking forward to seeing them again, he didn't like the reason why they were all together again.

"This is a bigger war than we've ever fought before," murmured Vert into Zoom's hair. Zoom nodded, staring at the Buster and the Gearslammer, slumbering next to one another across the Hub.

"You think we can win?" asked Zoom. He bit the inside of his cheek, unsure why he'd asked. Of course, they'd win, they always did. But then, they'd had Sage for the other wars. And they'd needed incredible vehicle upgrades to fight the Reds and months of preparation to be any good at fighting them.

"Yeah," said Vert. "That's what we do, babe, we win." He pressed a kiss to Zoom's hair again and tightened his arms around Zoom's waist. There was a touch of doubt in his voice as he spoke. "But I don't think this is gonna be easy, and I don't think we'll walk out unscathed."

"Me neither," whispered Zoom, staring at the Battle Force 5 vehicles all around them. "But we'll get through this."

Vert smiled and pulled away from Zoom, turning him so they were facing one another. "Yeah, we will," said Vert. "Now, come on, let's go set up for the others." He took Zoom by the hand and led him back into the apartment over the garage. Zoom glanced back as they rode up the elevator, watching the vehicles disappear.

He wasn't sure what would come next, but he hoped – he _knew_ – they could handle it.

They had to.


	4. Reunion

**Author's Note:** Let's get the gang back together, shall we? Reviews are appreciated!

* * *

 **Chapter Four: Reunion**

Vert called ahead to the airport before he and Zoom left that morning. Zoom had been doing up the morning dishes when Vert had made the call, and he'd listened as Vert reserved a car up at the airport, then hesitated before changing it to an SUV because 'it fit more luggage'. Zoom was half tempted to tell Vert they'd need an entire separate car for Stanford's luggage – god knew the man didn't know the meaning of the phrase 'packing light' – but he figured that was a problem for them once they got to the airport.

It was about an hour's drive out to the closest city, and another thirty minutes through the city to get to the airport. Once Vert and Zoom were loaded up in their convertible, with Vert in the driver's seat, Zoom clicked on the radio, leaned back, and enjoyed the sun and wind on his face and in his hair.

Vert laughed and Zoom cracked his eyes open, grinning at Vert. Vert grinned back and Zoom shifted to put one hand over Vert's on the gearshift.

Together, they drove to the airport, neither one speaking for most of the trip.

It was only when they finally arrived at the airport, parked, and checked the time – twenty minutes until the flights started landing – that they finally picked up conversation again.

"So, what do you think?" asked Zoom, folding his arms behind his head as they strolled into the waiting area of the airport. The floor to ceiling windows looked over the airstrip and Zoom glanced out them. A few planes were prepping for take-off, but nothing was landing until the first plane the others would be on.

Sherman, Spinner, and Agura were all coming on the same plane, with AJ, Tezz, and Stanford on the next one. Apparently, Stanford had specifically grabbed a flight that connected in Toronto, just so he could meet up with AJ and Tezz when they had to transfer planes there as well.

"About what?" asked Vert. He took a seat on one of the benches and Zoom dropped down next to him, spinning so he could lay his head in Vert's lap and stare up at him. Vert cracked a smile and flicked Zoom's nose, to which Zoom squawked and swatted at him.

"About the others? You think things will have changed?" asked Zoom. He reached up and ruffled Vert's hair, and Vert grabbed his hands. At this angle, Zoom couldn't get his hands free, so he settled for shifting so he could hold Vert's in his own.

"Oh, definitely," said Vert. "Zoom, we got married since the team broke up. A lot of dynamics will change on that alone."

Zoom scoffed. "Man, I was _always_ your favourite, right from day one."

Vert sighed. "Yeah," he agreed. "God, you really were." Vert leaned back and let his head tap the glass window behind him. He shook his head and chuckled, and Zoom's chest warmed as he smiled up at Vert.

The two waited there, chatting quietly about paint jobs and car repairs, until the PA system informed them that the first of the two planes had landed. Once the notice came in, the two got up and headed closer to the gates to watch for their friends.

Zoom got up on his toes to peer over the crowds of people streaming into and out of the terminal and gates. He wanted to curse at this airport. It was the only one for the surrounding towns and area, so everyone coming in and out of the entire area had to use this one. Made it really difficult to spot people.

It was easier in some ways though, because Sherman towered over a good portion of the crowd. He waved when he spotted Zoom and Zoom waved back, breaking into a wide grin and rushing toward Sherman. Sherman caught him when he leaped and Zoom hugged him tightly, grinning up at Sherman. He pulled back to hug Spinner, ruffling his still ridiculous hair as he did, before turning to Agura.

She'd grown her hair out in the time since Zoom had last seen her, and now her dreadlocks hung past her shoulders. They were still pulled back, albeit much more loosely, and framed her face a lot more. She smiled at Zoom and held open her arms. Zoom hugged her tightly around the shoulders, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"God, I've missed you," murmured Agura into his ear.

"Missed you too," mumbled Zoom. He pulled back and looked at the Cortez twins. "Missed you guys, too, you know."

"Yeah, yeah," said Spinner. He scoffed and blew some of his hair out of his face, but he was smiling.

Vert strolled up to them, his thumbs in his jacket pockets, and grinned at Spinner. "Ah, come on, Spinner. You know Agura's harder to get a hold of."

Agura winced, and Zoom knew Vert had done that on purpose, in hopes of nudging her toward an explanation for almost two years of radio silence, but she didn't rise to the bait. Instead, she only rolled her eyes and punched Vert in the shoulder.

"Missed you too, hot shot," she said.

Vert slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug as people finished streaming around them, shifting to more of a trickle.

"Come on," said Vert, gesturing to the baggage claim. "Grab your bags and let's get coffee while we wait for the others." Agura, Sherman, and Spinner moved off in their own direction, while Vert and Zoom headed for the coffee shop inside the airport.

Zoom narrowed his eyes as he looked up at Vert, who was working his jaw.

"Two years of radio silence," said Vert, softly, "then a text message when she shows up again." He shook his head and pulled his hands from his pockets, scrubbing one through his hair. "I shouldn't be this frustrated with her."

Zoom reached out and tangled his fingers with Vert's, squeezing their hands together. "Hey, man, I get it. It's…" He sighed. "It's shitty."

Vert squeezed back. "Yeah, it is," he agreed. He sighed and dropped his head, closing his eyes for a moment, then he opened them back up and squared his shoulders. Zoom frowned slightly, but he let it go. He knew Vert was still adjusting to having to go back to being a leader. After all, the guy hadn't been nearly as emotionally open with the team as he was with Zoom when they were alone, past or present. It was important to him, to keep that image of strength, no matter what.

Zoom let him have it. He knew the signs if Vert was falling. He knew he could catch Vert, if he needed to. He always did.

The two found a table near the coffee shop and Zoom took a seat to keep the table while Vert went to order their drinks. Zoom had a standard for these sorts of places – iced mocha with extra whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles, if possible.

As he waited for Vert, Zoom spotted Agura, Spinner, and Sherman looking around for the two of them. Zoom waved to them and the others waved back, pulling and carrying their bags over to the table Zoom had grabbed for them.

Agura took a seat and said something to Sherman that Zoom didn't catch, then Sherman headed over to the line for coffee.

"Grab me a medium?" called Spinner to Sherman. Sherman gave him a thumb's up and headed over to Vert, who waved at him. Then, Spinner dropped into a seat across from Zoom and grinned at him. "How's my favourite little buddy?" he asked, voice teasing.

Zoom lifted his foot and planted it on the leg of Spinner's chair, tilting him back. Spinner yelped and flailed before grabbing the table and pulling himself back in. He glared, but he was still smiling, and Zoom grinned at him, snickering.

"I dunno, how are you?" asked Zoom, raising his eyebrows.

Agura laughed, quiet and behind her hand, and Spinner squawked.

"Come on! It's been two years and you're _still_ calling me short?" asked Spinner. He folded his arms and mock-pouted. He rolled his eyes. "You've got this advantage called _testosterone_ , dude."

Zoom stabbed a finger at Spinner. "You've got it too, dude. Just because it's from a box doesn't make it less real."

"True," said Spinner, "but I got less years of it, so there." He stuck out his tongue at Zoom and Zoom stuck his tongue out in turn.

Agura groaned and put her head in her hands. "Spinner, you are almost _thirty_. Are you seriously still doing this?"

"Uh, yeah?" said Spinner. He rolled his eyes. "Come on, Agura, we've known each other for eight years, you should know me better by now." He looked at Zoom. "Right?"

"Totally," said Zoom, nodding, even if he was grinning as he said it. Spinner narrowed his eyes at Zoom, looking suspicious, but he seemed to let it go.

A moment later, Vert and Sherman reappeared with drinks. Vert sat down next to Zoom and slid Zoom his drink before sipping his own, standard, coffee. Sherman had grabbed a tray for the three drinks he carried – two standard coffees and a hot chocolate for Sherman. Even with his ridiculous work schedule, the dude still refused to drink coffee. Apparently, it gave him headaches or something.

Zoom didn't question it. The guy seemed to handle himself and his company pretty well for not being able to touch caffeine.

"Next plane lands in, what, twenty, thirty minutes?" asked Spinner. He leaned back in his seat and Zoom nudged it further back, making Spinner flail and grab at the table again. Zoom snickered. Spinner glared.

"It'll be great to see the others again," said Sherman, sipping his hot chocolate. "I haven't been able to talk to Tezz about my most recent ideas, and I wanted to run a few things by him."

Zoom frowned into his iced mocha and took a long sip of it through his straw. "Did you know he's up in the Yukon with AJ?"

Three pairs of eyes widened around the table and Zoom nodded.

"Yeah, right?" said Zoom. "I had no idea those two were that close." He wrinkled his nose. "They never really seemed to get along, you know?" He shrugged. "I guess age does change stuff."

"You mean you don't feel different from the wet behind the years eighteen-year-old we first met you as?" asked Agura. She raised an eyebrow at Zoom and Zoom rolled his eyes.

"That was _eight years ago_ , Agura, I'm twenty-six now!" protested Zoom.

"Mm-hm," said Agura, sipping her coffee. "Still haven't answered my question."

Zoom shrugged. "I mean, I feel completely different. I'm still me, obviously, but I think I've calmed down a lot. I'm not as quick on the draw, I don't get as frustrated, and everything just seems a lot slower."

"It's about to get much faster, though," said Vert. He frowned at his coffee, drumming his fingers against the plastic lid. His eyes were distant and Zoom figured he was thinking back to the battle zone with Sage and Rawkus. "We're on our own for this one, guys. Sage can't help us, it's too risky for her people," he said.

"We've got Rawkus, though. He's said he's way on our side, this time," said Zoom.

"Somehow, that doesn't make me feel better," said Sherman.

"Me neither," said Agura. She leaned back in her seat and shook her head, frowning. Her gaze slid over to Vert and she cocked an eyebrow. "What do you think about all this?"

Vert sighed and looked to Zoom, who offered him his best impression of a comforting smile. Zoom's confidence wavered at how unsure Vert seemed, when they were alone, but here, with Vert holding it together, Zoom tried to as well, despite how vivid his memory of Sage's own fear still was.

"I think we've got our work cut out for us," said Vert. "Sage gave Zoom and I some things so that we could work on our own and take on the Ancient Ones, should we have to, but she hopes that we can shut down the portal before they escape." He drummed his fingers against the table and frowned at his coffee. His words were stilted, more formal than his stumbling speech when he'd proposed to Zoom, three years ago, and Zoom pressed his lips together.

"This isn't going to be easy," said Vert, shaking his head. "But we never back down, and we don't lose." He looked to each of his friends in turn, ending on Zoom. "We can do this." His gaze swung back toward Agura. "Just a matter of getting our wheels under us and flooring it." His mouth quirked up on one side and Agura leaned over and punched him in the shoulder.

"Well said," said Agura. She eyed him. "Have you been taking public speaking classes while the team was split up?" she asked, voice teasing.

Vert rolled his eyes and scoffed, resting a hand over his heart. "Agura, I am insulted that you would think my talents are anything less than natural born."

"He took an online class," said Zoom.

"Traitor," Vert threw at him, kicking him lightly under the table. Zoom kicked him back and stuck his tongue out at Vert.

Overheard, the alert for Stanford, AJ, and Tezz's plane came on. Zoom frowned and looked at Vert. It was early. Together, the five got to their feet and wandered over to the gates, chatting all the while. Vert and Agura were discussing training regimes and Zoom got wrapped up in listening to Spinner explain the concept for his latest video game. Apparently, a team was working on it while he and Sherman were in Handlers' Corners, saving the world.

AJ and Tezz came first, side by side while Tezz tapped away on his phone and AJ carried their bags – which they'd apparently already grabbed on their way out of the terminal. Tezz still had the same stupid emo hair he'd had in the phone call, though he seemed to have less bags under his eyes than usual. AJ's hair was a little short, slicked back instead of hanging in his face.

Behind them came Stanford, and Zoom knew both he _and_ Vert did a double-take when they saw him. Because good lord, the man, for being seven years older than Zoom, was _hot._

He'd ditched his mohawk for something more styled and less tall, his ears were pierced at the bottoms and tops with small black hoops, and his hands were decorated in silver rings that mixed with his purple painted nails and sleek digital watch.

Stanford slid down his sunglasses to reveal his eyes, framed by a dusting of gold glitter and a touch of eyeliner, and looked around at them.

"Holy fuck, Stanford got _hot,_ " whispered Vert. Spinner made a noise between a snort and a gasp and Zoom nodded in response, his eyes wide.

"Hello, loves. Miss me?" asked Stanford, eyes glittering with mirth.


	5. The Hub

**Chapter Five: The Hub**

The ride back to the garage was only _mildly_ embarrassing. Stanford and Tezz took the convertible with Vert and Zoom, while Agura, the twins, and AJ took the SUV the airline gave them as a rental. Vert didn't think about the semantics of getting it back to the airport. He'd deal with it later. Or get Stanford to just _buy_ it right out, the guy was apparently pretty damn rich now.

"So," said Stanford, his elbows on the sides of the driver's and passenger's seats as he leaned forward between them to grin at Vert. "I got hot, did I?" he asked. The mirth was back in his voice and Vert resisted the urge to shove Stanford back through the space between the seats. He didn't want to take his hands off the wheel, not when he was still fuming with embarrassment at Stanford hearing him say that.

"Stanford, shut up," said Vert, trying to focus on the desert road in front of him. They hadn't hit the Salt Flats quite yet – and when they did, Vert planned to open up and just _go_ – so he had to actually focus on what he was doing. "It was a slip up."

"And a beautiful one at that, love," said Stanford, still grinning. He turned his head to Zoom. "Don't suppose you're willing to share?"

Zoom snorted. "Sorry, man, not my style."

"Mores the pity," said Stanford, drily. He dropped back into the seat next to Tezz and nudged the man. In his rear-view window, Vert could see that Tezz was playing with his phone, his brow furrowed and his lips pursed as he studied it.

"Come on, Tezz, lighten up, mate," said Stanford, rolling his eyes. "Is our reunion really such a terrible thing?"

Tezz gave Stanford a flat look, only barely tilting his head up to deliver said look. "You realize that our reunion has only happened because the balancer of the Multiverse has discovered an evil so great that even he cannot mediate between it and the rest of reality." Tezz tilted his head and raised his eyebrows. "In what world, Stanford, is that not a terrible thing?"

Stanford blinked, sighed, and slumped back in his seat. "All right, mate, you've got me there," said Stanford. He huffed and looked up at the rear-view mirror, which Vert watched everything happen through. Stanford winked at him. Vert flipped his gaze back to the road and ignored the burning in his ears.

Zoom reached over and gently rested his hand on Vert's shoulder. Vert smiled at Zoom, who returned the gesture, and both of them went back to focusing on the road.

"This is really bad, isn't it?" asked Stanford, in a soft voice.

With a nod and a sigh, Vert said, "Yeah, Stan, it's pretty bad."

"You should have seen Sage," said Zoom, his voice barely loud enough to be heard over the car and the wind. Out of the corner of his eye, Vert could see the concern and fear knitting itself into Zoom's expression. "Even with Krytus, she was never that scared." Zoom shook his head. "I don't know, man." He took his hand off Vert's shoulder and leaned back in his seat, staring blankly out the windshield. "If she's this spooked, she's got a good reason."

"We can talk about it more at the Hub," said Vert. He spied the garage coming up on the horizon and accelerated, pulling off the road and onto the Salt Flats to get away from the speed limits. "We have plenty of time to get the whole team together to make battle plans." His gaze went to the rear-view window again. Out the back of the car, he could see the SUV with the others in it. Then, his gaze slid over to Tezz, who was still playing with his phone.

"There's one thing _I'm_ more interested in right now, actually," said Vert.

"What?" asked Stanford.

"Tezz," said Vert. Tezz raised his head and furrowed his brow, looking confused. "Why do you and AJ live together?"

Tezz's cheeks went scarlet almost immediately, and so did the parts of his ears that Vert could see. Stanford let out a low whistle and Zoom snickered, one hand going over his mouth. Vert slid his attention back to the desert as they approached the garage.

"Must we talk about this?" mumbled Tezz. He had his hands over his face, his phone forgotten in his lap.

"Oh yes, we must," said Stanford. "Why, Tezz, is there something going _on_ between you and our favourite Canadian?" Stanford was grinning, Vert could hear it in his voice. They were only a few seconds out from the garage now.

He pulled into the garage as Tezz groaned and cut the engine as Tezz muttered a curse in what Vert figured was probably Serbian.

"I'm not discussing this," said Tezz. He didn't bother with the door, instead leaping over the edge of the convertible when Vert parked the car. He stalked off toward the stairs as the SUV parked itself next to the convertible.

As AJ and the others got out, Stanford called to AJ, "I think I pissed off your boyfriend."

AJ frowned, then his eyes lit up and he looked to Tezz, who hadn't gotten out of the garage yet. "Oh hey, you told them, eh?" he asked, grinning.

Tezz's cheeks turned redder than the Saber and he bit out, "No, I hadn't."

"Oh," said AJ.

" _Boyfriend?_ " echoed Spinner, breaking into a wide smile. "Oh my god, that's fucking priceless." He cackled, clapping his hands together as he grinned even wider. "Sherman, they're _dating._ "

Sherman's mouth twitched up on one side and he covered his mouth with one hand, coughing. Agura rolled her eyes, but she was smiling as well.

Vert frowned and looked from his snickering teammates to Tezz, who had gone completely rigid and was staring pointedly at the floor of the garage. He glanced to Zoom, who nodded and struck off toward Tezz.

"All right, guys, that's enough," said Vert. He looked to Zoom as Zoom murmured something inaudible to Tezz and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Leave them alone. Go unpack your stuff in your old rooms." He shooed them off, catching AJ's shoulder on the way out.

Once the others were gone, Vert turned to AJ and Tezz and asked, "Do you guys wanna be put up in the same room? We've got another queen mattress in the storage room upstairs. We can swap 'em out."

"Yeah?" asked AJ. He smiled at Tezz. "See? I knew it'd go okay."

Tezz grimaced and rubbed his mouth. "Before or after the mockery?" he asked, bitterness coating his words and expression. AJ opened his mouth, closed it, and sighed. He wandered over to Tezz and carefully rested a hand on Tezz's shoulder. Even now, years after Tezz had been rescued, he still kept some of his half-starved figure. AJ's big hands positively dwarfed Tezz's narrow shoulders.

"Hey, it's okay," said AJ. "You know they'll leave us alone with Vert's say so." He smiled at Tezz and reached up, brushing Tezz's bangs from his eyes. "We'll be okay."

Vert bit the inside of his cheek and glanced to Zoom, feeling as though he was intruding on something private. Of all the relationships that could spring up involving any one member of the BF5, Vert never would have guessed AJ and Tezz would get together. Those two were like night and day, and while Vert knew they'd somehow become unlikely friends, he had no idea how that would have kicked over to romance.

But then, thought Vert, looking at Zoom, sometimes the things you least expected were the ones that worked out the best. Sometimes, those oddities led to something beautiful.

"Why don't you guys take your things upstairs," said Vert, clearing his throat, "then we'll all come back down to the Hub and start looking over everything. Take AJ's old room, we'll move the mattress up before bed."

They nodded and headed upstairs, grabbing their bags from the two vehicles. Once they were gone, Vert sighed and slumped backward against the convertible, tilting his head back and running his hand over his face.

"What are we doing, Zoom?" he asked.

Zoom wandered over to him and slid his arms around Vert's middle. Vert wrapped his arms around Zoom's shoulders and stood up straight, pressing a kiss to Zoom's forehead before slumping against him a bit.

"I dunno," said Zoom. "You really that worried?"

Vert stroked Zoom's hair and pressed another kiss to Zoom's head, this time to his temple. "So much has changed. Do we even know who each other is anymore? Can we even fight like this?" He thought of Tezz's reaction to the mockery, of AJ's consoling, of Agura and Stanford, who wouldn't even talk to each other.

They had lives and families outside the business, these days. How did you justify taking six people away from their lives to try and do the impossible? How did you bring a team back together that hadn't been in six years?

"I guess we'll find out," said Zoom. He shifted so that he could press a kiss to Vert's jawline. "Come on, babe, you know we can sort this out. It'll be like how it all started, but faster. We sort out the kinks and keep going, yeah?"

Vert smiled and shifted one hand to cup Zoom's chin. "What would I do without you?" he murmured. He pressed a chaste kiss to Zoom's lips and Zoom hummed.

"I dunno, be sad?" asked Zoom. There was a faint amusement in his voice, but Vert felt it pang in his heart. Not because Zoom was being mean, but because it was true. Without Zoom, Vert had no idea what he'd do.

"Come on," said Vert, choosing to change the subject. "Let's go harass the others back into the Hub." He clapped a hand on Zoom's shoulder, then led him toward the elevator down into the Hub. A minute later, the others joined them, and the eight headed down into the Hub.

"Man, this is a sight for sore eyes," said Spinner, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He let out a low whistle and climbed off the elevator platform, wandering toward the Buster. "Hey, Sherm! The Buster's still in good shape!"

Sherman looked at Vert and raised his eyebrows. Vert shrugged and stuffed his hands in his back pockets.

"We've been doing maintenance on all of them, from time to time," said Vert. "Everything's still in one piece." He glanced over to the far left, away from the vehicles, and saw the Mobi. Quietly, Vert stepped away from the others and wandered over to the Mobi. It had been longer since he'd stepped inside the Mobi, and all of his memories with it were in battle zones or with Sage.

Vert laid a hand on the side of the Mobi and smiled up at it. Then, stepping back, he let out a soft whistle and the door opened. He went up the ramp and into the Mobi, where Zoom had stored the various things that Sage had given them.

Behind him, he heard the others coming toward the Mobi, but Vert paid them no mind. In his mind's eye, he could see Sage floating down in another Mobi, after she'd upgraded his car in that very first battle zone. He could see the team, in all its forms, working together to save the multiverse. He could see Zoom, laughing, as Vert fired off missiles; Spinner, cheering when he discovered onslaught mode; Tezz and AJ, high-fiving, as they helped save the multiverse at the last possible moment.

All of this and more, he saw, as he walked through the Mobi. And, as he climbed up the stairs to the portion with all the seats, he saw the data log floating in the Mobi. Quietly, Vert took the data log and the rest of the items, slipped them into the bag next to them, and brought them out of the Mobi.

The others were standing at the open door when he got back to it. They watched him, curiously, and Vert held up the bag. He pulled out the data log and threw it to Sherman.

"Let's see what we're up against," said Vert.

Sherman set up the data log and soon screens filled the Hub all around them. Sherman and Tezz studied the smaller screens, written in Sentient, for a few minutes while Vert and the others watched the videos play out on the longer ones.

Well, Vert said videos, but they were more like memories. Flickering images from a thousand different times and a thousand different battle zones, showcasing Sentients working alongside Rawkus to fight back shadowy monsters made up of purple stars and glowing supernovas for eyes and mouths.

Vert shook his head and looked to Zoom, who swallowed visibly.

These things were huge. Bigger than Krytus, hell, their leader looked to be about the same size as Rawkus at their smallest.

Vert wasn't sure how they'd fight such massive creatures. Wasn't even sure how to fight something made up of void and stars.

"We think we have all their names sorted," said Sherman, after a few minutes. He gestured to Tezz, who swept at the screens and focused on one in particular, a tall figure with angry eyes that had Vert gritting his teeth at the look of.

"Each Ancient One has a unique vehicle and many unique abilities," said Tezz.

"Think Kyburi and her energy drain, or Kyrosis and his flame wheels, but bigger," said Sherman. He gestured to the figure on the screen. "This is Igetis, the leader. As far as we can tell, they are the most powerful and the oldest by a long shot. We think they might have _created_ some parts of the multiverse. They specialize in amplifying negative emotions. The data log calls this ability 'hyperfocus.'"

"Lovely," said Stanford. He leaned against the Reverb and folded his arms.

"Their scout is Anichne. She specializes in high speed pursuit and trick moves," said Sherman.

"She also has an ability called 'sonic scream', which disorients anyone who hears it," said Tezz. "Highly dangerous." Tezz gestured to a screen as it shifted to show a figure with spider-like features. That must have been Anichne.

"Their hunter is Kynigos. He's probably the most ruthless outside of Igetis. He was known for cracking open Sentients and drinking their energy for powerful attacks," said Sherman. The others all shivered, Tezz included.

"The data log calls his ability 'lock on'. Once he has your blood, he can track you across the multiverse unless it is taken from him," said Tezz. He gave Stanford a sharp look. "Don't bleed."

Stanford rolled his eyes. "Now that's hardly fair," he said, drily. "I'm not the only one who is ever injured in battle zones. What about Zoom?"

Tezz gave Stanford a flat look and said, "Zoom doesn't bleed."

Stanford pouted. Spinner and AJ snickered. Sherman and Tezz continued. An image of Kynigos appeared in the screens. He had harsh, dog-like features that made him look more like a star-based hellhound than anything else.

Another image appeared, this one turtle-like, but much bigger.

"This is Thenos, their heavy," said Sherman. "His strength is phenomenal. He's said to be able to rip the life of a battle zone with his bare hands."

"There is little evidence to this rumour, thankfully," said Tezz. "His ability is called 'shatter shock'. It allows him to create miniature earthquakes in the ground. The resonance can also disrupt radio waves and shatter anything with the same frequency."

"Thankfully, our cars aren't one of those things, or our suits," said Sherman. The final image that appeared was a scrawnier figure with octopus features for a head. "This is Mosyni, their tech expert. She…" Sherman shook his head. "She talks to battle zones, to the tech in them. She's said to be able to hack anything – even a Sentient."

"Freaky," said Zoom, eyes growing wide.

Sherman nodded. "The data log calls her ability 'null'." He frowned. "I don't really want to think about why." The images all formed together, creating a line of five terrifying star creatures.

"There they are," said Tezz. "The Ancient Ones."

The Battle Force 5 all stared at the images, not saying a word. Vert took a breath to steel himself and stepped forward, away from the group, and turned to face them all.

"We have the upper hand here, we know who they are. They have no idea what we are or what we can do," said Vert. "If everything goes well, we won't even have to fight them. We'll just seal up their portal and be on our way." He looked at Sherman. "Can you pull that up?"

Sherman nodded and the Ancient Ones disappeared. The screens formed up to a show a great gateway made of what looked like obsidian pillars in a pentagon shape. There were glowing purple lines around the pillars, but nothing was within the gateway. It was empty space, staring out into the void.

"This portal can only be closed with the Meta Key," said Vert. "We know it's slowly opening, wherever it is. We need to find it, find the Key, and combine the two. It should stop all of this before it can start."

"And if we can't?" asked Stanford. Agura nodded and all the others watched Vert with growing trepidation in their eyes.

"Then we're going to need help," said Vert. "And plans. But let's take this one step at a time. We can handle this."

"Yeah, we can," said Zoom.

"For now," said Vert, clapping his hands together. "Let's get some food and get some rest. We'll handle everything else once we're settled." He gestured to the vehicles. "Grab your vehicles, guys. We're going to Zeke's."


	6. Zeke's Diner

**Author's Note:** Let's go to Zeke's, shall we?

* * *

 **Chapter Six: Zeke's Diner**

The drive to Zeke's Diner was one that Vert did all the time with himself and Zoom, but it had been years since he'd done the drive in the Saber. For so long, he and Zoom had made the drive in the convertible and it seemed strange, borderline new, to do it in the Saber. He remembered how to drive the Saber, of course, but that didn't change the little nuances that changed from one vehicle to the other.

Like riding a bike, if a bike was a two-ton alien car with a chainsaw and an interdimensional homing device.

As the vehicles pulled up to the diner, Vert hopped out and smiled at Zoom, who took off his helmet and shook out his hair. He'd long since abandoned the headband he used to love so much, and it was strange to see him in the Chopper's colours without it and with a small ponytail.

Still, at least this – him and Zoom – wasn't new after the team. Some things were still the same.

He slung an arm around Zoom's shoulders and followed the others in.

Grace looked up as they entered and her entire face lit up.

"Guys!" she said. She dropped her broom and ran toward them, hugging AJ tightly before switching off to the others. "Oh, it's so good to see all of you." She pulled back to smile at them. "What are you doing here?" She looked outside and saw the cars. "Test driving?"

"Reunion," said Vert. "Sage wanted us to be here when she unveiled the upgrades for the cars at the test centre, and we're helping to check out the bugs for a short period of time. Shouldn't take more than a month or two."

He felt the eyes of the team on him as he spoke and he tried to shrug it off. In eight years of keeping the BF5 secret, he'd gotten passable at lying.

He would have worried more if he hadn't.

"Your old booth is open, if you want it," said Grace. "I think Javier is in the back making pizzas. Usual?"

"Please," said Zoom, scooting around Vert and Grace to clamber into the booth.

"Javier?" echoed Stanford, raising an eyebrow as he followed after Zoom. He slid into the booth and propped his chin in one hand, eyes narrowed. "Love, don't tell me you went and got a boyfriend."

Vert and Grace exchanged a look. Vert fought a smile, his mouth twisting against his will, while Grace giggled.

"Girlfriend, actually," said Grace, drily. Stanford's eyebrows shot up. "And not Javier. He's the son of a friend of Zeke's. He's been filling in, since, you know, Zeke's getting old." She frowned, looking a little worried, and Vert put his hand on her shoulder.

"Where is Sun, anyway?" he asked.

"Oh, she's a few towns over doing charity work today," said Grace. She looked at Stanford. "Planting trees."

Stanford grinned. "Now that, I can get behind." He chuckled and leaned back in his seat. "Could I bother you for a slice of cheese pizza?"

"Sure thing, Stanford," said Grace. "The rest of you?" The others all made their orders – double cheese for Agura, pepperoni and mushrooms for AJ, spinach and garlic aioli for Tezz, jalapenos and hot sauce for Spinner, and a club sandwich, extra pickles, for Sherman. Then, they all took their seats at the booth while Grace ducked into the back to get food prepared.

"Girlfriend, huh?" said Stanford, looking to Vert and Zoom. He raised both eyebrows, amusement evident in both his voice and his expression. "Looks like you two really did have an effect on this old town."

Vert chuckled, feeling his cheeks heat as he rubbed the back of his neck. Zoom leaned up and kissed his cheek, grinning broadly.

"Yup," said Zoom. He leaned over and punched Stanford in the shoulder. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

"Me neither," said Vert. Grace reappeared and slid sodas around – somehow remembering the soda orders of the other six, several years later – before disappearing again. "So, how does it feel, to be back here?" he asked.

"Weird," said Spinner. "It's bigger than I remember though."

"Yeah," said Stanford. "Did the town expand?"

Vert shrugged. "They built a full high school and a little hospital, so we've gotten a lot of new families. It's been pretty cool."

"Big enough to start a family now, too," said Sherman, sounding wistful. Vert didn't miss the way Zoom looked thoughtful at Sherman's words. He cleared his throat and looked anywhere but at Zoom.

"I guess," said Vert. "What about the rest of you?"

"I like it," said AJ, beaming at Vert. "Sure, it's hot, and it doesn't rain or snow nearly enough, but, you know, Handler's was my home for a while, eh? And you guys are my friends." AJ slung and arm around Stanford and ruffled his hair. In a stark contrast to Stanford's old behaviour, he merely rolled his eyes and waved AJ off instead of freaking out about his precious hair.

"It's a nice change from London, I'll give it that," said Stanford, folding his sunglasses and tucking them in the collar of his shirt. "And a welcome one, despite the circumstances."

Agura hummed and shook her head, twirling her straw in her drink. "Oh, I'm sure Mr. Humble is here to brag about his 'big gig' in London, isn't he?" She gave Stanford a flat look and Stanford frowned, opening his mouth to retort.

"Guys, come on," said Vert, spreading his hands. "Can't we get a long for ten minutes?"

Agura shrugged and went back to playing with her straw, not saying a word.

"What about you, Tezz? Handler's got any good memories for you?" asked Vert, looking to Tezz in hopes of breaking the tension.

Tezz hummed and looked around the booth. "If not for all of you and for Handler's Corners, I would not be here," he said. "And I do not mean this in an existential sort of way, but in a literal way, as the Sark no doubt would have killed me." He drummed his fingers on the table, a rhythm that Vert had almost forgotten in their years apart. "Besides, you introduced me to AJ, who is the only one of you I can tolerate long term."

"Well considering you're _dating_ the bloke, I'd hope you can tolerate him," said Stanford. Tezz shrugged and kept drumming, his eyes sort of faraway as he did. AJ scooted a little bit away from Tezz so they weren't in danger of touching, and draped his arm over the back of the booth.

"I like Handler's," said Sherman. "I know it's quiet and small, but Handler's was the first place I truly felt challenged, mentally." Sherman smiled at them. "I can't wait to see the challenges that wait for us."

"Before or after they try to kill us?" asked Tezz.

"Ever the optimist," said Stanford, rolling his eyes.

Tezz gave Stanford a flat look at Stanford, himself, would have been proud of. "Our challenges lie in monsters from other dimensions bent on destroying the multiverse. The logical conclusion is that they will try to kill us."

Stanford blinked and sighed. "All right, love," said Stanford, slumping against the booth. "You have a point."

Grace came out of the kitchen carrying a tray with all of their food. She slid everything into place while rattling off their pizzas, then flashed a smile when they were all settled in.

"Everything good?" she asked.

"Can we get crazy bread?" asked Zoom, perking. Grace nodded and winked before heading back into the kitchen once more. Zoom propped his chin in his hand and narrowed his eyes at Tezz. "I didn't even know you _liked_ guys."

"I don't," said Tezz. He poked at his pizza, looking thoughtful. "I like AJ." He shrugged. "That's it."

AJ smiled, the tips of his ears and nose turning bright red. "Aww, Tezz," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What about you?" asked Zoom, cocking his head at AJ. Vert had a hard time believing this whole matter hadn't come up the entire time the BF5 had been together, but seeing as AJ hadn't dated while they'd been a team, he supposed it made some sort of sense.

Sort of.

"Love is love, eh," said AJ. "I've always loved everyone, just some more than others." He smiled. "Like Tezz!"

"You're not the strangest couple I've ever met," said Stanford, leaning back as he bit into his pizza. "Out in London, there's some _strange_ pairings. As long as you're happy, mates." Tezz and AJ both nodded – AJ much more enthusiastically. "Does this mean Sherman and Agura are the only straight ones out of us?"

"Seems that way," said Sherman.

"Not a minority I ever thought I'd be part of," said Agura, drily. Stanford scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Hardly a minority, love," he said. Agura gave him a flat look at the pet name and Stanford rolled his eyes a second time. "Agura, I call everyone 'love'. I call Vert, love!"

"You also wanted to suck his dick for six months," said Agura, giving him another flat look.

Vert's eyebrows shot up and he choked on his soda. Zoom patted his back and Vert stared at Stanford, his jaw dropping open. " _What?_ " he asked, voice incredulous.

"I never had a crush on you," said Stanford, stabbing a finger at Vert. "You were the only available person in this dust bowl that was also nice to me." Stanford shrugged. "Shit happens."

Zoom grinned. "Shit happens, huh?" he echoed, propping his chin in one hand.

Stanford rolled his eyes, ears and cheeks pink. "Anyway," he said. "That's not the point. The _point_ is that you need to stop scowling." He wagged a finger at Agura. "You're going to get frown lines, _love._ "

Agura shook her head, looking away from Stanford. She wore that look of 'yeah, sure' she often had back during their early days as a team, and Vert wondered what had made her so much more distant than the others. Had something happened to her during their time apart? Surely, she was fine, if she was here.

But then, Vert had been wrong before. And she hadn't picked up when they'd called, just texted.

Strange.

The eight settled in to eat their pizzas, exchanging only a few words while they ate. It had been a long day of travelling, settling in, and learning new things, and Vert mostly just wanted to curl up and go back to sleep, despite the early hour. He kind of hoped Zoom would feel the same by the time they got home, but there was no way to know for sure.

He settled for leaning back and watching everything unfold around him, only half there as conversation drifted around him. At some point, conversation about vehicle upgrades came up, and while Sherman and AJ were discussing how to upgrade the vehicles without Sage, Vert remembered one of the tools that Sage had given them.

"Hey, uh, Sage gave us a vehicle upgrade module," said Vert, "along with a bunch of other shit that's not just the data log. We could put the cars through the Mobi before we take off into the multiverse."

"When we do want to head out, anyway?" asked Spinner.

"As soon as possible," said Tezz. "According to my preliminary scanning of the data log, we have roughly one month to accomplish our task before the portal is opened." He frowned, shaking his head. "Theoretically, Sage should have been able to sense the portal long before now. I wonder why she did not contact us sooner."

"Maybe she thought the Sentients could handle it," said Zoom. "You know how Sage is – she was always doing stuff without us."

Vert remembered. He remembered Sage building a super weapon that she claimed was for an enemy bigger than the Reds. He remembered being suspicious, he remembered going to Krytus, he remembered a lot of things, near the end of the war.

He remembered how much they could have prevented, if only she'd told them more.

But that wasn't the point, at the moment. The point was that they were here, now, and they had a chance to ensure that nothing happened in the multiverse.

To prevent a war, instead of fighting in one – now that was an experience.

"So, Vert," said Stanford. "What's the plan now? You want us to start training?"

Vert shook his head. "Today, we rest. Tomorrow, we train," said Vert. He picked up his soda and held it up for a toast. Everyone else held them up in turn. They returned to eating and chatting after the toast and Vert settled in to listen, plans already spinning behind his eyes.


	7. Training

**Chapter Seven: Training**

Zoom leaned against the rooftop railing of the warehouse, staring up at the stars. He preferred them, here out on the Salt Flats, to those visible in town. They weren't that different, not really, but Zoom could always tell the difference. Even that little bit of light pollution could mess with the stars. It was part of why he'd stuck around the Order as long as he had – for the stars.

There was something about them. No matter how far to shit the world went, no matter what had gone on that day, the stars always came out again. Even on the darkest nights, so long as a sliver of bare sky could be seen, the stars were there.

Reliable in the darkness in a way nothing else, not the moon, not electricity, nothing, was.

He sighed, soft and a little exhausted. It was late. Way too late to be up when he knew they'd be training the next day. But he couldn't sleep. Vert was murmuring in his sleep again – his nerves pressing at him even in sleep – and Zoom had tossed and turned for hours. Not because of Vert, no, he could handle the sleep murmurs. Had grown used to them, even.

But his own restlessness had eventually driven him out of bed and up to the roof. He was tempted to go for a run, but that would be an even worse idea when he didn't know if he'd be sleeping at all, tonight.

He knew he had to head back to bed soon, anyway. Vert would wake and wonder where he was. Zoom didn't want him exhausted, too. They could always talk about him later, when Vert had settled back into Leader Mode.

"You're up late."

"Hey, Agura," said Zoom, not looking away from the stars. The cool night air of the desert blew across his face. In his sleeveless shirt, Zoom shivered, but he couldn't bring himself to care. The cold grounded him when his thoughts floated away.

"You know," said Agura, leaning against the railing next to him, "I'd ask you why you're awake, but I have a feeling it's the same reason I am."

"Fear," replied Zoom. Agura nodded, her lips pressed into a thin line. Zoom glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. "You don't admit to fear."

"Things change," said Agura.

"People don't," said Zoom. "We're not that different, from when we first met."

"Maybe not," agreed Agura. She tilted her head to look at him. "Surprisingly bitter for our resident ball of sunshine."

Zoom felt a shadow cross his expression and he glanced down and away from Agura. "Hold him through his nightmares enough times and you lose your shine," he murmured.

Agura slumped, barely visible in the corner of his vision. Zoom looked back at her and saw her falter, mouth opening and closing a few times before she pressed her lips together into a thin line.

"I'm sorry," she said. Zoom shrugged. "I didn't realize it had gotten that bad." Her words were soft, barely audible in the night, but Zoom heard them all the same.

"It hasn't been, in a long time," said Zoom. He left out the part where Vert had woken up in a cold sweat, clawing for his sword, just the night before. "Just got thinking about it."

Agura nodded. "I used to get them too, the nightmares." She stared up at the stars, and Zoom got the feeling she was purposely not looking at him. "Krytus, Kalus, Zemerik." She shook her head. "I used to wake up at night and think the world was ending."

"Me too," said Zoom. He stared up at the stars and traced the constellations with his eyes. "Sometimes, I still do."

Agura nodded and sighed, looking down at the desert. Her eyes were distant; even in the dim light, Zoom could tell that much.

"Why'd you disappear?" asked Zoom. Agura started, blinking at him. "After the wedding, you just took off. We didn't even know if you'd pick up when we called you."

"I'll always pick up for the BF5," said Agura.

Zoom frowned and stared down at the desert. "But not for the guys in it," he muttered.

Agura winced and looked away from him, toward the town. "It's complicated, Zoom."

"I don't see why," said Zoom.

Agura sighed and pushed off the railing, walking back toward the roof access. "None of you do," she replied. "We should get some sleep." She disappeared back inside, the door shutting behind her.

Zoom frowned for a long minute at the door and shook his head, then followed after her.

He should try, at least.

* * *

Morning came far too early for Zoom, which was saying something, seeing as he was the morning person out of the two. But when his and Vert's alarm went off around seven, Zoom found himself whining and curling into Vert's side, rather than getting up. In response, Vert smacked the alarm clock behind him until it stopped shrieking.

The two managed to stay down for almost a solid two minutes before Vert nudged Zoom to get up and murmured something that Zoom didn't quite catch. But as Vert shifted to pull Zoom off him, Zoom hooked a leg over Vert's waist and reached up, pinning Vert's arms to the pillows by his wrists and rolling so he was properly straddling Vert. He grinned down at the other man, dark hair hanging in his face, and Vert grinned up at him, absently testing the hold Zoom had on his wrists.

Zoom's hands didn't budge.

"Hi?" said Vert, raising an eyebrow. His voice was breathy as he stared up at Zoom, his bedhead smearing his hair across his forehead.

"Hi," said Zoom, giving a soft laugh. He shifted again, mostly in a roll of the hips – and oh, it wasn't early enough that Vert didn't groan a bit at that – and leaned forward until they were nose to nose. "Come here often?"

"Not as often as I'd like," murmured Vert, leaning up to try and kiss Zoom. Zoom pulled back just far enough that he couldn't, and Vert very nearly _pouted._ "Aw, come on."

"Mm," said Zoom. He leaned forward and gently nipped at Vert's jaw, letting his teeth drag slowly down Vert's jawline and onto his neck. He peppered kisses down Vert's neck, shifting his grip on Vert's wrists as he moved downward. A deft flick of his tongue on Vert's collarbone had Vert gasping and arching into Zoom, and Zoom grinned against Vert's flushed skin before continuing on.

A sharp bang on the door made them both jump.

"What?" called Zoom, not trusting Vert's voice to sound totally normal.

"If I don't get laid on this mission, then neither do you!" shouted Spinner. "Now get out of bed! You're the ones who wanted us to train."

Vert grimaced and let out a soft laugh. "Yeah, yeah," he called back, voice only slightly hoarse. He gave Zoom an expectant look and Zoom rolled his eyes, releasing Vert and swinging off of him.

"Fine," said Zoom with a sigh. He reached for some clothes and stumbled off to the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day.

And if Vert stumbled into the shower after him a few minutes later and pressed him into the tiles to continue what they'd started earlier, well, Zoom certainly wasn't complaining.

It was closer to eight when Battle Force 5 finally regrouped in the kitchen. Stanford gave Vert and Zoom a knowing look, to which they both shrugged, and Sherman was making a second pot of coffee. Zoom forwent the coffee for some orange juice and hopped up onto the counter, watching the others.

Spinner was playing with his phone, Stanford was talking to Sherman and Agura – though Agura seemed to only be half listening – and Tezz was showing AJ something on his tablet, the two bent close together and AJ's hand on Tezz's shoulder.

Kind of impressive, considering Tezz barely got within arm's reach of the rest of them, or hadn't, back when the team was still a team.

Did they even count as a team now? And, if not, what were they?

"So, who's ready for some training?" asked Vert, sounding far too cheerful for eight in the morning. Zoom blamed the orgasm. He wondered if Spinner did too.

"Food, then fighting," said Stanford, looking over his shoulder at Vert. Zoom tossed an apple between his hands and surveyed the others as he munched on it.

"What are we starting with?" asked Agura. She leaned back against the counter, half empty coffee mug cradled in her hands. "The simulator? The test track? Or are we just going to head into a zone?"

"I was thinking we go back even further," said Vert, taking a mug of coffee when Sherman offered it to him. "Trust exercises. Sparring."

Out of the corner of his mouth, Stanford said, "He means foreplay," to Spinner, who snickered. Zoom hid his own snicker behind his hand and Vert rolled his eyes, those his cheeks were a little pink. Years later and those teases still got to him. Zoom couldn't say he was disappointed. He'd always liked messing with Vert too, even before they'd gotten together in any capacity.

Before Vert could find a response, there was a ding on Sherman's phone and he pulled it out. Zoom watched a wide smile spread across Sherman's face. Zoom cocked his head and Sherman turned his phone toward Zoom to reveal a picture of a pair of toddlers with skin and hair a little lighter than Sherman's. Both had brilliant blue eyes, a trait they got from their mother.

"The twins," said Sherman, beaming. Zoom took his phone from him and grinned at the two little girls. They were a year and a half now, and almost a perfect combination of Sherman and Viv. Zoom remembered how pregnant Viv had been at his and Vert's wedding. She's only been four months along, but with two babies, she'd been a lot bigger than he'd expected.

Still, she'd looked great in her dress, and they'd remembered to pick a venue with ramps so she could get her chair into and out of the building without any help.

Sherman and Viv had been married only a few months at the time, and Zoom remembered the jokes between Sherman and Vert about them being the happiest married men in the country.

"They're beautiful," said Zoom, almost missing the wistfulness in his own voice. He handed the phone back to Sherman.

"Best thing that ever happened to me," said Sherman. "You know, along with Viv." Zoom nodded, his smile and chest warm.

"So!" said Vert, his voice sharp as he clapped his hands together. Zoom jumped. "How about we go for a spin in the simulator, instead? Tezz, you still know how to run it, yeah?"

Tezz nodded.

"Great!" said Vert. He turned on his heel and marched out of the room. "Let's go, guys!" Zoom narrowed his eyes and followed after Vert, casting a worried glance to Sherman. What was _that_ all about?

* * *

Down in the Hub, Vert called out vehicle names to go up into the simulator. They were starting with the main five, it seemed. But, before anyone could even put on their uniforms, there was a pause, and Vert disappeared into the Mobi. He returned, a minute later, holding something in his hands.

"AJ, Tezz," called Vert. He opened his hands to reveal a pair of power cells. One pale blue, one a rusty orange. Just like their cars. "Sage gave me these, just in case."

AJ and Tezz took them, both looking to one another.

"They're sub-cells, so they recharge off our vehicles, so you can't go off on your own all that long," said Vert. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Sage said as long as you're in a zone with us, you should be fine, or else your cars could die pretty fast. I thought it might be handy if we needed all eight of us in a zone."

"It will be," agreed Tezz.

AJ nodded. "Awesome!" he said.

Vert gave a nod of his own, sharper and less eager than AJ's. "All right!" he called to the rest of them. "Suit up, and let's get in the simulator."

The gang all suited up – AJ and Tezz included – and Zoom was a little pleased that the uniforms seemed to adapt to new body sizes – Stanford was a little thinner in the shoulders, Spinner a little broader, Sherman's mass had shifted more to his centre than his upper body. It all worked out well. The uniforms all looked almost the same as they had back when all this started, except, of course, for Vert and Zoom's. Which Spinner immediately noticed.

"Your outfits _match_ ," said Spinner, sounding so amused that Zoom rolled his eyes. "And so do your _cars_ ," he added, grinning as he looked to the Saber and Chopper. That's so _cute,_ " he cooed.

"Fuck off, Spinner," said Zoom, flipping him off for good measure.

Spinner gave a scandalized gasp and threw a hand over his heart. "You _swear_ now? Blasphemy!"

Zoom's mouth quirked up on one side, crooked grin barely held back as he said, "I swear a lot, just usually in _private._ " The BF5, Zoom included, looked over to Vert, who flushed a dull pink and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Get in the damn simulator. Please," he said, not looking at any of them.

They did, if only to spare Vert any more embarrassment.

The vehicles rose up, the original five falling into place, and the battle zone opened up around them. It was the clockwork zone, the very first zone they'd ever gone through together, and Zoom smiled when he saw it appear. Everything the team was, everything they'd become, had all started because of this zone.

"All right," said Vert, his voice coming through their communicators. "Somewhere in this zone is the battle key. Team up and find it – Cortez brothers, you're with me, Stanford, Agura, and Zoom, you're team two. Whoever finds the key first, wins. Work together, that's the only way this will work."

Zoom switched over to the old team two channel and found Agura and Stanford's signals already there. "Thoughts?" asked Zoom.

"Lead the way, oh great scout," said Stanford, a teasing in his voice.

Zoom chuckled. "All right – Stanford, cover the west; Agura, the east. I'll take the skies and sweep from north to south across both of your sectors."

"Sounds fine by me," said Agura.

"Right then, let's go," said Stanford. The three peeled off in opposite directions, Zoom flying up into the air.

Recon was simple. They moved in grid formation while Zoom kept an eye on the sky, and Zoom fed information to Agura and Stanford on the location of the Buster and the Saber. Maybe he watched the Saber a little too much, and maybe he was enjoying being in the air a little too much, but it was fine. This was just practice, anyway, and he was just glad to remember how the Chopper felt and moved in the air.

Guess the whole 'riding a bike' thing held true for flying alien motorcycles, too.

It was only a matter of minutes before Agura was radioing with the location of the key, and Stanford and Zoom both headed after her. Zoom touched down on her left as Stanford drove up on the right, and Zoom grinned.

"All right!" said Zoom. "Let's do this."

The three took off toward the location of the key. They crossed over gears and leapt up onto platforms, swinging around a corner just in time to see the Saber and Buster charge toward it.

Zoom grinned. It was going to be a photo finish.

The five vehicles sped toward the key, hooting and shouting in excitement over the radios – with some liberal trash talk thrown in.

The Saber and Chopper pulled away from the packs and drove faster and faster and—

The Hub alarm went off, red flashing around the practice zone, and all of them shrieked to a stop. The simulation ended, the cars lowered back to the ground, and Vert leapt out of the Saber as Zoom pulled off his helmet.

"What's going on?" asked Vert.

Tezz tapped rapid-fire at the computers. "It would appear a sudden spike in energy levels in a battle zone," said Tezz. He looked to Vert. "It matches the signature of the Meta Key."

Vert nodded. "AJ, Tezz, put the sub-cells in your cars, you two are coming with us. Tezz, program the coordinates into this," he tossed the skeleton key to Tezz, "it'll take us anywhere in the multiverse. The rest of you," he turned toward the team, "get ready. We're about to go back into the multiverse."


	8. Return to Sender

**Author's Note:** I'm loving how this story is coming together, not gonna lie.

* * *

 **Chapter Eight: Return to Sender**

Vert stared at the vehicle upgrade module, which sat on a table next to the Mobi, far longer than he should have. He knew, logically, that they didn't need the upgrades yet. The upgrades were meant for dealing with the larger parts of their mission and, besides, he didn't want to upgrade the cars before they even had a chance to get used to them again. However, that didn't stop him from wanting to _try_ , just in case. The upgrades would give him peace of mind, give the team something more powerful to protect themselves with, and, if things were to go terribly, it would be that little bit of extra assurance that everything would work out.

Still, it wasn't necessary, and he was just being paranoid. So, he left the vehicle upgrade module behind, leaped into the Saber, and lead the seven vehicles - and _god_ , it was strange to have all seven heading into a battle zone at once. That never happened. Never had been able to happen, before all this started - through the desert.

"Tezz, did you get the coordinates into the key?" asked Vert, his grip tight on his steering and his gaze flickering between the key on his hood and the desert in front of him.

"Yes. It will take us to the location of the signal," said Tezz. He hummed, obviously checking his own readings, before continuing with, "Sherman, I am not mistaken, am I?"

A hum from Sherman as he checked the readings as well, and a quiet noise of confusion from Spinner. The cars rumbled around the eight and Vert gripped the Saber's steering tighter, frowning as he wondered what the three could see that he couldn't.

"No, you're right," said Sherman. "There's a Sark signal in all this."

"What?" asked Stanford. "That's impossible. The Sark only work with the Sentients now. Zemerik and Zug are dead."

From the corner of his eye, Vert saw Zoom look at him through his helmet, a frown marring his expression. Vert shook his head and looked away, gripping the steering tighter. He wasn't going to explain it. Not unless he had to. And, right now, it didn't seem like it would help. He didn't need the others worrying about things they might never run in to.

"Probably just an old storage house for them," said Vert. "We ran into a few of those during the war, remember?" The others made various noises of agreement, though Zoom still looked pensive. Vert was grateful he and Zoom were at the front, so no one else could see their expressions. "I'm sure it'll be fine. Now come on, hammers down, guys. Let's get that key!" With that, he fired off the new battle key and opened the storm shock. The sound of it whistled passed his ears as the seven vehicles shot into the vortex.

On the other side, the Saber touched down in what looked like a massive outdoor factory, purple lines denoting the power that ran off the massive generators that rested in the centre of the zone in massive towers. Vert smiled as he saw the zone. It was a nostalgic smile, memories flickering behind it as he remembered the last time they'd been in this zone.

"Hey, Sherman, recognize this place?" asked Vert. Above them, great storm clouds rumbled and thundered, ominous and lumbering. They reminded Vert of the clouds in the memory zone, and he wondered if all the zones would have that sort of weather phenomenon, and if indoor zones would have a much different effect, seeing as they had no sky to have clouds in.

"Yeah," said Sherman. He sounded a touch awed and a touch embarrassed all at once. "This is where uh, Viv and I got together." He coughed and Spinner made the same cooing noise he'd made for Vert and Zoom.

"That's _adorable_ ," said Spinner, voice growing steadily higher with each syllable. There was a grunt, and squawk, then Spinner yelped, "Hey!" Vert cracked a smile at that and shook his head. He remembered this zone. Viv had been brought in because they'd needed the Buster but Spinner had had a broken ankle. Usually, they would have just brought in the Gearslammer or Splitwire, but the Buster had had the tech they'd needed for the zone. So, Sherman and Vert had sat down with Viv and explained everything to her.

Vert still remembered her response, 'Only if I get a cool racing outfit like you guys.' Hers had been somewhere between the colours of Sherman's and Spinner's. They'd only kept her on for a few missions, until Spinner's ankle had healed. But she'd loved it all, and ended up becoming a mechanic for the team until the war ended.

"Right," said Vert. "Tezz, Sherman, find me that signal. I want to know where we're headed." He scanned the zone with both his eyes and his scanners, focusing on where the power lines seemed to be going. Last time they'd been in here, the zone had been a lot brighter. Vert wondered if the power cells in the zone had finally started to die. It had certainly taken long enough.

"So, if you and Viv got together in… the purple power line zone," said Spinner. Vert snorted at the name. "And AJ and Tezz were outside of battle zones, same with me and Jax, then what about Vert and Zoom?"

"I dunno," said Zoom, leaning forward on the Chopper. "I guess, for me, it wasn't a zone. It was, you know, just the garage, between zones." He tilted his head and looked to Vert, narrowing his eyes slightly. "You?" he asked.

Vert bit the inside of his cheek. He'd never _actually_ told Zoom the full answer to that question. His own damn _wedding vows_ had skipped over it. If only because he knew the team would mock him endlessly over it. "The clockwork zone," said Vert, quietly.

There was a long pause. Then, Zoom said, "That's the first zone we ever went through together." His words were slow, slightly confused.

Vert nodded. "First time I ever heard you laugh, I knew I was fucked," said Vert, quietly. He cracked a smile. "You said you'd always been my favourite." Vert shrugged. "You weren't wrong." He hesitated a moment, then said, "And the time Hatch froze time would have been when I realized I was in love with you."

Zoom smiled, his eyes vaguely shining, then chuckled and shook his head. "Man, I love you."

"You guys are so sweet I need a better dental plan," said Stanford, dryly. Vert rolled his eyes, cheeks burning.

"I have located the coordinates, if you are all done," said Tezz.

AJ gave a little scoff and a laugh. "Ah, come on, Tezz. A little romance never killed anyone."

"Commercial romance is not something I specialize in," said Tezz. "Uploading the coordinates." Vert nodded. A moment later, the beacon appeared on his scanners.

"Yeah, but I like your version better," said AJ. Tezz cleared his throat, and Vert didn't have to be able to see him to know he was blushing.

Deciding to spare Tezz the embarrassment of being focused on, Vert said, "All right. Looks like we're headed for one of the factories. Let's check it out. Zoom, lead the way."

"Try to keep up," said Zoom, a familiar cocky teasing entering his voice. Vert bit the inside of his cheek, amusement and warmth flushing his face. Oh, it had been a while since he'd heard _that_ in an innocent context.

Zoom shot off, Vert following behind, and the rest followed after. Gearslammer and Buster spread out to flank, Tangler hung next to Buster and Splitwire next to Gearslammer, and Reverb drove between them all, creating a loose sort of wedge that was driven by the Saber, which, in turn, followed the Chopper. Together, the seven vehicles drove through the zone, passing other factories, massive power lines and power cells, and various piles of half-built Sark drones that, Vert hoped, were causing the second signal.

"There it is," said Zoom. He shot off ahead, darting into the opening of the factory. Vert followed behind, his headlights coming on as he entered the dark and dreary building. High above, in the ceilings, massive chains hung down, holding old hollowed out shells of Sark vehicles and other things that Vert didn't recognize, but knew were probably cars. On the ground, the assembly line was covered in a fine layer of dust. The various machines and trays hunkered in the shadows, as if watching, waiting, for something to change.

"Talk about creepy," said Zoom, looking around at it all.

"Tezz?" said Vert, tilting his head slightly back toward the Splitwire while never taking his gaze off the room around him. "Don't suppose you can get the lights on in here?"

"It would reactivate the assembly line," said Tezz.

Vert nodded, mouth twisting slightly. "Right, probably not a good idea then." He rubbed his hand over his mouth and stared at it all, a chill running down his spine and lingering at the base. "So, where does the signal point to?"

"This way," said Tezz, pulling ahead and leading them forward. Vert raised an eyebrow. It was strange, to see Tezz pushing ahead and telling the others to follow, rather than simply disappearing with the same sort of suddenness Zoom specialized in. Though, Tezz lacked the tact and ability to _stay_ vanished that Zoom did. Or at least, he had, when the team had been fighting the war.

Zoom and Vert followed close behind Tezz, the others spreading out more to check out all the angles. Tezz led them into the back of the factory, where the power cells were, and stopped, climbing out of the Splitwire. In his uniform, and in the shadows, partially silhouetted by the glowing purple of the power cells, Vert could see that Tezz had finally stopped looking emaciated. It had taken years, long after the war had finished, and, even at both weddings, Tezz had still been abnormally thin. Now, he was still thin, but at least he looked healthier, and not like the mostly starved guy they'd rescued from the Red Sentient moon.

"It should be over here," said Tezz, studying his tablet, which he held in the same hand that wore his gauntlet. Vert and Zoom hopped out, or off, and followed Tezz. Vert cast a glance to Zoom, who frowned slightly and cast a glance back as they kept pushing deeper into the shadows the power cells cast.

"Strange," said Tezz. He shook the tablet a bit. "The signal is… fading."

"Are we going the wrong way?" asked Zoom.

"No," said Tezz. "No, my calculations were correct. It is almost as if…"

A second voice, from the shadows, spoke up. "It zone jumped." Tezz jumped, tablet hitting the ground with a hard _crack_ as he scrambled backward toward the others. Vert caught Tezz's shoulders and stepped back, already reaching out to call his sword to him.

From the shadows came a pair of glowing red eyes, then, glowing blue circuitry. As the figure came into view, Vert felt himself relax, just the slightest bit. He shouldn't have, considering who it _was_ , but he, more than the others, had his reasons.

"Zemerik," said Vert, a dry twist to his words and to his expression. "Fancy seeing you again."

"Zemerik?!" The voices over the coms all sounded the same. Vert released Tezz's shoulders and let Tezz straighten himself up. The man cast a glance at his tablet, and Zemerik bent down and picked it up, dusting it off before holding it out. His body was different, these days, much slimmer and sleeker, and with much less exposed wiring and joints. His head was the same, if slightly smaller, and he was shorter as well. Almost as if he'd stolen the body from one of his Sark and fit his own head to it, modifying as he went.

Hesitantly, Tezz took his tablet back.

Footsteps, then the others were behind Vert, further back near the cars, and hesitantly watching.

"You know what we're looking for?" asked Vert, ignoring the whispers and confused noises his teammates were making. He'd explain later. For now, he needed to know what was going on with the meta key.

"The Meta Key," said Zemerik, nodding. "Yes, I am well aware of it, organic." He looked over his shoulder and frowned. "The Ancient Ones pose a threat to you and I alike."

"Most things that threaten the whole multiverse do, dude," said Zoom.

Zemerik cast a glance at Zoom and frowned. "You still have strange taste in mates," said Zemerik, glancing back at Vert. Vert couldn't help the grin that spread across his face.

"Hey, I think I picked pretty well, considering he helped me save your tin ass," said Vert.

Spinner shoved up between them, grinning at Zemerik. "Dude! You're supposed to be _dead_ ," said Spinner. There was a light in his eyes, and Vert shook his head slightly. Leave it to Spinner to be _happy_ to see one of their old enemies again. Granted, Vert couldn't really say anything, all things considered. "What happened?"

Zemerik nodded to Vert. "Ask your leader."

Almost in unison, the entire team, bar Zoom, all cast confused and accusatory looks at him. Tezz was cradling his tablet close, as if he expected Zemerik to reach out and snatch it from him.

"After the war, Zoom and I went back into the battle zones, hopped over to Sark world, and rescued Zemerik from the scrap heap. Machines don't die, not really, so we rebooted him and freed him of the Alpha Code," said Vert. He folded his arms. "That doesn't explain how you ended up here, though."

"I travelled through storm shocks which opened periodically, traversing through the multiverse until I could find a battle zone which would allow me to save Zug and rebuild both of us," said Zemerik. He gestured with his much smaller than usual hands at the zone around them. "Here, is where I have remained, ever since, gathering information about the battle zones and about the changes in them, since the end of the war." Vert wondered where Zug was, but figured he was probably recharging or something. Zemerik never went far without him.

Spinner folded his arms. "Really? You never tried to rebuild your army?"

"Why did you save him?" asked Agura, her words overlapping Spinner's.

Vert grimaced and answered first, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck as he turned to face his team. "Zemerik saved me, back when Krytus first woke up. Without him, I would have died. I owed him my life, and nothing he ever did for us, nothing I ever did for him, made that up." Vert sighed. "It was my way of balancing the scales." He shrugged, mostly with one shoulder.

Agura nodded, seemingly satisfied with that answer.

"Okay, but your army," said Spinner. He waved wildly at the zone around them. "This place is like, Sark central. You could build a totally _awesome_ army here. Why not do it?"

Zemerik frowned. "My hubris was my downfall. My want to control the multiverse almost cost me that which was most dear to me. I will not make the same mistake again," he replied.

"Zug," said Spinner, grinning. Zemerik gave a singular nod. Spinner chuckled and shook his head. "If robots could love, Z, if robots could love."

"So, you know about the Ancient Ones," said Vert, changing the subject before he had to think much about what Spinner was saying. He folded his arms over his chest. "And the key. You know where it is?"

Zemerik tapped something on his wrist and some screens appeared between him and the others. "The Meta Key periodically shifts across planes of existence, travelling from the shadow zone to regular battle zones, and it does not stay in any one place for long. If you are to find it, you will need to study its patterns of movement." He frowned more deeply. The screens showcased a few zones that Vert recognized, likely locations the key had been, by Zemerik's words. "I have not been able to study its movements, due to my own limited technology in this zone."

Overhead, the thunder rumbled, shaking the roof of the factory.

"You should go, organic," said Zemerik, casting a look to the shaking ceiling, high above them. The chains swayed and Vert swallowed, wondering if they'd hold. "This zone is no longer safe for you or your kind."

Vert nodded and cast a glance back to the rest of the team, before looking back at Zemerik. "Thank you," said Vert. He hesitated another moment, then pulled out a one-way com from his suit and tossed it to Zemerik. "If you need anything, you know where to find us. Let's go, guys." He headed back to the Saber, and the others headed back to their vehicles as well.

"Wait," said Zemerik. He tapped his wrist again. "I am uploading what I managed to study into your vehicle. Use it well, organic." Vert nodded and closed the Saber, his gaze following Zemerik as he disappeared behind the power cells once more.

"That's it?" asked Stanford. "We're not going to stick around and see what he's up to?"

Vert backed up the Saber to the rest of the cars. "Honestly, Stan? I don't think he and Zug _are_ up to anything. I think Zemerik's just trying to live his life, and I'm okay with leaving them here. Besides, that com will track him. We can make sure he doesn't do anything _too_ like his old self."

"It's cool that you, you know, saved him," said Spinner. "I know he's bad but, he's a cool guy, deep down in all that evil programming."

"He is," agreed Vert. The seven vehicles headed back out of the factory, the lightning flashing across the sky above them. "Now, let's head back to earth and study those key signatures. I wanna find out if we can track that Meta Key. The sooner, the better."


	9. The Calm

**Chapter Nine: The Calm**

With their only lead being from Zemerik, Sherman and Tezz set to work in studying the data Zemerik had managed to mark down about the Meta Key. There wasn't a lot that the two could find, at first, so instead of pushing constantly, Sherman set up a bunch of algorithms and programs to study for patterns and such, while Tezz, true to his nature, continued to study the data long after everyone else had given up.

The team trained, they talked, they made food together, they went grocery shopping together, but it was clear something was missing. Or rather, some _one_ was missing, at least, for Sherman: Viv.

Jax might not have known about the BF5, but Viv had been such a constant by the time the team divided that not having her around was putting a strange strain on their teamwork. Sure, they all fell back into rhythms easily enough, but Sherman wasn't quite himself. He was lonely. He was sad.

And, in truth, Sherman knew the others could see that in him. But he tried not to let it get to him. He just wanted to fight the bad guys, find the key, and save the day so he could go _home._ He loved his friends, really, but he missed his other family, the one he shared with Viv and their daughters, Kiara and Mia.

He missed them so much, in fact, that the daily phone calls weren't enough and, before long, Sherman found himself setting up a video call in the rec room one night, after everyone else had separated for the night. He knew that Kiara and Mia were already in bed, but he hoped they'd be up anyway. It wasn't as if they had school, after all.

The call rang through and Viv picked up, looking a little tired from where she was perched on the couch, the laptop obviously in her lap. She smiled at him, her blonde hair pulled back into a loose and messy bun, stray hairs falling over her glasses. She was wearing the pyjamas that he'd bought her last Christmas, an oversized dark blue t-shirt with a couple of buttons and the BF5 symbol on the breast. He had the match in the same size.

"Hey, honey," said Viv, smiling at him. Sherman felt his entire body relax and sighed a bit, settling into the couch a little more. "How're things?"

"Good," said Sherman. "We're working on leads to figure out where this thing is, but nothing too concrete yet." He smiled at her, looking at the remnants of her lip gloss and the mismatched earrings she wore – one of the girls had probably stolen the other for a Barbie bracelet. "How're things?"

"Fine," said Viv, pressing the back of her hand to her mouth and yawning. "We're getting by. The girls miss you, but they understand you have important work to do." Her soft expression fell to something more serious. "Are you being careful? Is Spinner?"

"Yeah, we're fine," said Sherman. "Everything's been calm so far." He hesitated, then frowned as well. "Too calm, actually. I'm worried."

Her brows furrowed. "You know what they say about the calm before the storm," she said. Then, with a pause, she looked up over the computer and narrowed her eyes. "Girls, are you still awake?"

A pause and then, "No," came a pair of squeaky voices. Sherman snickered, pressing a hand to his mouth.

Viv sighed, shaking her head. "All right, all right, come say hi to Dad," she said, gesturing for them. A moment later, Sherman heard the pattering of two pairs of small feet smacking off the hardwood floors, then Kiara and Mia appeared on either side of Viv. Their curly hair was a few shades lighter than Sherman's, an almost perfect mix between his and Viv's. They both smiled at him, their dimples big and pronounced on their tanned and chubby cheeks.

"Hi Dada!" said Kiara. Mia just waved. Her speech wasn't quite as far along as Kiara's yet, and she often just let Kiara take the lead.

"Hi girls!" said Sherman, laughing. He waved to them and they both waved back again. "I love you."

"Wuv you!" said Kiara. Mia blew a kiss.

With a chuckle, Viv pushed the laptop to the coffee table and swung into her folding wheelchair next to the couch. "All right, all right," she said. "You said hi, now back to bed with you both." She nudged them along. Mia climbed into Viv's lap and Kiara put a hand on the chair.

"Be right back," said Viv. Then, "Oh! Jax is here, you should get Spinner and say hi." She waved at something in another room before disappearing with the girls. Sherman relaxed a little further and waited. A moment later, Jax appeared on the screen, dropping onto the couch.

They flashed a grin at Sherman, swiping a hand through their long black hair, which wasn't pulled back into its usual ponytail. There was a smug of grease under one eye that they obviously hadn't washed off yet.

"Hey Sherm," said Jax. "How goes the test track?"

Sherman fought a wince. He still couldn't believe Jax didn't know. He figured they all should have told Jax a while ago, but it had never come up and now wasn't exactly the right time. At least, Spinner didn't think they should, and seeing as Spinner was _dating_ Jax, he was the one to listen to.

"Good, good," said Sherman. "Lots to do." He frowned and cocked his head. "You spoke to Spinner today?"

"Nope, how come?" asked Jax. As if summoned, Spinner appeared in the door, his hair hanging around his shoulders and still damp from a shower.

"Speak of the devil," said Sherman, raising an eyebrow.

"Why am I evil?" asked Spinner. He dropped down next to Sherman and lit up when he saw Jax on the screen. "Babe!" said Spinner, beaming. "Hey, how are you? Cars okay? Are you with Viv?"

Jax chuckled. "Hello, my lovely. Everything's fine. I'm helping Viv out with the girls, you know how they are. Miss you."

"Miss you too," said Spinner. "I gotta go – I've got food on. Talk later?"

"'Course, love you," said Jax.

"Love you too," said Spinner. Jax disappeared from the screen and Spinner hopped up, towelling off his hair with the towel he had in one hand. "Later, bro."

"Later," said Sherman. He waited a long moment after Spinner left the room, and, after a minute, Viv reappeared, swinging herself from the chair to the couch and grabbing the laptop.

"Hello again," said Viv.

Sherman smiled. "Hey," he said, voice soft.

The two kept talking and Sherman let himself relax. Yeah, maybe this was going to be a long, hard road, but at least he had his girls – all three of them – and his friends. As long as he had them, they'd get through this.

Zoom yawned, rubbing at his eyes as he came down the hall and into the bedroom. The shower was running and Vert was probably in it, but Zoom didn't feel much like joining him. He was tired, and sore, and he'd spent way too long running training simulations today. On the bright side, he had the new high score. A score he hadn't managed to outdo since he was twenty.

Instead of joining Vert, he flopped, facedown, on the bed, and closed his eyes, letting himself rest for a while.

He wasn't sure how much time passed before the shower shut off, the door to the bathroom opened, and he heard a quiet chuckle. The bed dipped under Vert's weight and his hand smoothed down Zoom's back.

"Hey, Zoom," said Vert, his voice soft. "Tired?" Zoom hummed and folded his arms under his head, resting his cheek on them so he could crack one eye open and smile sleepily at Vert.

"Yeah," he said, sighing out the word slowly. He hummed as Vert rubbed a hand up his back, his eyes sweeping down Vert appreciatively as he noticed Vert was completely naked and still slightly dripping from the shower. "No towels?" he guessed.

Vert shrugged. "Didn't feel like it." He flopped down on the bed next to Zoom, laying on his back, and tucked one arm behind his head, using the other to card his fingers through Zoom's hair. Zoom hummed, nuzzling closer to the touch. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm okay," said Zoom. He yawned and crawled over to Vert, flopping on top of him and nuzzling into the crook of his neck. "You?"

"Fine," Vert pressed a kiss to the top of his hair. He kept combing his fingers through Zoom's hair. "Worried, but nothing we can't handle, you know?" Zoom hummed and pressed a few open mouthed kisses to Vert's jaw and throat, pushing himself up on one elbow to lean more over Vert a bit more.

"Thought you were tired," mumbled Vert, humming and stretching so Zoom had better access.

"Never too tired for this," said Zoom, chuckling. He bit at Vert's neck and then moved his way up to Vert's lips, pressing a kiss to them. He lingered, letting the warmth spread through his body and tingle all the way through him, letting out a soft sigh as Vert kissed back.

When the two pulled back, they rested their foreheads together and Zoom smiled down at Vert.

"Love you," he mumbled.

"Love you too," replied Vert. Then, Zoom pressed Vert further back into the bed and sat up, pulling off his shirt in one smooth motion before leaning back over Vert.

Screw sleep. He had better things to do.

Like his husband.

AJ yawned and stretched, rubbing at his eyes. It was late, but he didn't want to go to bed without Tezz. He'd gotten used to snuggling up with the taller guy over the last year. It'd been nice, to have someone to sleep next to, especially someone who was known for being so closed off and well, like Tezz.

But AJ hadn't broken through all of Tezz's bad habits, and too many of them were what made Tezz, well, Tezz, so he didn't really want to. So, when Tezz went missing sometime after they all sat down and played board games – Scrabble, Tezz won, then Monopoly, in which Zoom had won, but that was because he flirted with Vert until Vert had given him Boardwalk and Park Place, then it had been over – AJ knew where to find him.

So, he'd taken a shower, dried his hair, and found some fuzzy pyjamas for the bedroom – Vert had put the AC unit in the window for him and Tezz so they didn't boil in their sleep – and then he'd gone down into the Hub to find Tezz.

What he saw made him stop and stare for a long, long moment.

Tezz had screens up all around him, displaying past battles with the Red Sentients, the Sark, and the Vandals. Images and videos of the Ancient Ones were up as well, terrifying in their raw power. Between the screens were the various data that Zemerik had sent their way. Tezz was running algorithms, or so AJ assumed, next to Sherman's, but he was still looking over all the data himself.

AJ touched down on the ground and padded over to Tezz, watching the man work with his long, slim fingers. He moved with a sort of elegance and grace that AJ had never seen in another tech genius. Sure, Sherman and Spinner had their ways, but Tezz had a sort of elegance that was more like playing an instrument rather than playing a computer.

"Hey, babe," said AJ. "Made any progress?"

"No," said Tezz. He pinched his brow and rubbed at his eyes, letting out a low sigh. "Not yet."

AJ frowned and, hesitantly, slid his arms around Tezz's waist, resting his cheek between Tezz's shoulder blades. "Don't you think it's time to take a break?"

"I can't," said Tezz.

"Of course you can," said AJ.

Tezz tensed, his entire body turning into one long line of tension and stress. "I _can't_." His accent was thick on the word. "You don't understand." His hands stilled, clenching into his fists in front of him. "I am intelligent in a way Sherman is not. We cover each other's weaknesses. If Sherman cannot find out what is going on, then it is up to me. And if _I_ cannot find out what is going on…" He hesitated, taking a deep, shaky breath. "I don't want to think about it, AJ."

"Hey, hey," said AJ, releasing Tezz so he could step in front of the man and take his face in both hands. "Listen. Everything is going to be okay. The Ancient Ones aren't going to escape. We're gonna find the key. We're gonna seal the portal. And we're gonna get all of this sorted and go home. Okay?"

Slowly, shakily, Tezz nodded. Then, dropping his head to AJ's shoulder, he let out another shaky breath. "Okay," he whispered into AJ's shirt. His fingers curled into the fabric. "Can we… talk about something else?"

"'Course," said AJ, rubbing his back. He pressed a kiss to Tezz's cheek. "Anything you need."

It was probably a little after midnight when Stanford wandered outside the garage, leaning against the outside of the building and staring out at the Salt Flats. He was stripped down, his make-up washed away, his jewellery in its drawers, and his hair hanging in his face, his styling gel gone. With one hand, he slicked his hair back out of his face, slightly damp from his earlier shower, and let out a soft sigh.

He never felt more naked than he did without his make-up or his jewellery or his fancy outfits. In sweats that he used as pyjamas, with nothing but his freckles to cover his face, he didn't feel like himself. But it was late, and wearing make-up to bed was bad for his health, so he suffered this nudity, this vulnerability, for the good of his skin.

Closing his eyes, Stanford took a deep breath of the desert air. It was different from the air in London. Without smog, without smoke, without the people and the noise and the smells that never went away. Here, it smelled of nothing but sand and clean air. The lights came only from the garage behind him and the stars and moon high above. And the only noise was his own breathing and the sound of the wind as it washed over the expansive sand.

"Hey." The words were soft, but startled Stanford nonetheless. He opened his eyes to find Agura, her dreadlocks hanging around her face and bags under her eyes. She was leaned against the door frame of the garage, the big door still wide open and letting the night air in. "Mind if I stand?"

Stanford shrugged. "Fairly certain you're more of a citizen than I am, mate," he said. He was careful to keep the nicknames more platonic than usual. If Agura wanted to take an issue with his nicknames, he'd make sure not to make her uncomfortable. Even if 'mate' felt wrong for her.

He'd do anything to keep her comfortable, but, lately, he hadn't a clue what that meant. He hadn't spoken to her since Vert and Zoom's wedding, and, well, that wedding night had been… eventful for more than just the newly married couple.

If Stanford had known that a night of passion with Agura would ruin their entire friendship and everything that came with it, he'd never have tried his hand. He'd never have asked. He'd never have hoped. But he had. And it'd happened. And Stanford had no one to blame but himself.

"That's…" Agura sighed and ducked her head. "Look, I was wondering if we could… start over?" It came out as a question, though Stanford was certain she hadn't meant for it to be. "You know, forget anything ever happened between us?"

Stanford hesitated. It would have been so easy to go along with that. To forget the soft smiles and softer words. To forget that night. But he couldn't.

He couldn't forget the way Agura's laughter made his entire world light up. He couldn't forget the way her smile always made his day. He couldn't forget the way the sun caught her hair and her skin and her eyes. He couldn't forget anything about her. And, most importantly, he couldn't forget how irrevocably and completely in love with her he was.

And how much it hurt.

And how much he didn't want to let it go.

"What if I don't want to?" asked Stanford.

Agura opened her mouth, closed it, and then sighed. "I don't know, Stanford. It's not that simple."

Stanford pushed off the wall and turned to face Agura completely. "Why can't it be?"

Agura looked away. "I…" She trailed off and clenched her fists at her sides. "It's not that simple," she said, again.

"Well, I suggest you make up your mind, then, Agura, and find out what _is_ simple for us." Stanford swallowed hard against the sour taste in his mouth. "Because I won't wait around forever for you to make up your mind."

He headed back into the garage, his eyes wet from the sting of his own lie.

She didn't know it, but he did.

He would, in fact, wait for her forever.

And that, in truth, made it all the harder to see her: so close, and yet so far. Like a comet, burning bright, illuminating all it passed, but never attainable, never touchable, never reachable.

That was Agura, to Stanford. And god, what he wouldn't give for a chance to let her burn him all over again.


	10. The Storm

**Chapter Ten: The Storm**

The morning brought thunder, lightning, and a torrent of rain that flooded the Flats and left everyone rather melancholy.

But it also brought with it good news: the location of the Meta Key had been found. Tezz was basically comatose, but he'd managed to track it down, and before he'd passed out, he'd left a ton of information behind: coordinates, things he'd discovered about the Ancient Ones, and how to handle the Battle Zone he'd discovered the key in.

By the time Vert and Zoom were dressed and downstairs in the Hub, Sherman had figured out where they were going: a prison zone.

Vert shivered a little. He _hated_ prison zones. The one he had the most vivid memory of was the one they'd found Sol in, and, considering how that had gone, he wasn't eager to dive into another one. Regardless, the team needed their leader, so he squared his shoulders, took a breath, and took the lead.

"All right. What did Tezz find?" asked Vert, clapping his hands together. Everyone was in their suits, dressed for the day, and even in the Hub, the pounding rhythm of the rain and the booming of the thunder were still clearly audible.

"It appears we're headed to one of the outermost zones in the multiverse," said Sherman. He pulled up a few holograms to showcase images of the zone. "It's an old prison the Red Sentients built to contain war criminals. Much like the place we found Sol in."

 _Great_ , thought Vert. As if it couldn't get any more like that day.

"This was back when Zemerik was still leading Krytus' armies, so the entire place was guarded by Sark. It looks like most of the Sark are still around, but they're all deactivated." He frowned. "And they don't seem to be running on any code that we know," continued Sherman.

"What colour are they?" asked Vert, figuring it might be like the Alpha Code.

"We think it's the Alpha Code, but even _older_ ," said Spinner. "They're like… gold."

"Gold," echoed Vert. Then, he sighed. "Of course, they are." That made the fifth colour of Sark they'd seen since the start of everything – blue, red, green, purple, and now gold. Why _gold_ of all colours? "Are they still under Zemerik's control?"

Sherman shook his head. "As far as I can tell, they used to run red code. Whatever turned them gold came in after the zone was shut down."

 _Great_. "All right," said Vert. He turned his attention to AJ. "AJ, are you coming, or do you want to stay behind and keep an eye on Tezz?"

"Tezz, if that's cool," said AJ. He cast a glance upward, frowning. "He was up for almost three days in a row. I want to make sure he doesn't, you know, have a heart attack or something, eh?"

Vert nodded. "I understand completely." He turned to the others. "The rest of you, get your vehicles. It looks like we're headed out." The others all ran off and leaped into their cars, and Vert hesitated a moment before catching Sherman's shoulder.

"What's up?" asked Sherman. Vert pressed his lips together, debating how to phrase what he wanted to ask. He didn't want to scare any of the others, but it was his duty as a leader to explore every possibility.

"The prison zone," said Vert, slowly. "Are there any criminals left in it?" He thought of Sol, of Red Sentients, of the horrific monsters they'd seen throughout the multiverse. "Anything we should be on guard for?"

Sherman shook his head. "There shouldn't be," he said, "But I'll keep an eye out for them. The Sentients should have swept that zone after they signed the peace treaty, but it could have been missed." He hesitated, frowning and looking away from Vert. After a moment, he said, "I wish we could contact them. It would make all of this much easier."

Vert nodded. "Me too. But they have to protect themselves." Even if he thought it was kind of hypocritical of them to shut themselves off from the multiverse, from _them_ , after he and his friends had been ready to give their lives to help them. But then, he supposed, maybe Sentients, at least those who weren't Sage, thought that humans weren't as important as they were. Sentients were meant to be perfect, after all. It only made sense that they'd put themselves high above the rest of the multiverse.

It was also completely awful of them, but hey, they weren't exactly around for Vert to lecture them about that.

He swung into the Saber, ignoring the looks the team gave him, and led them out into the desert. The Skeleton Key, already programmed, shot forward off the roof of the Saber, forming a portal in front of them. It swirled around and around as the team fired through it, and, moments later, the five vehicles touched down on the dark grey and darker red ground of the Prison Zone.

The five pulled to a stop and Vert took a moment to look around. The whole place was laid out like some giant, ancient tomb. Dozens of low, square buildings were built in circles around a tall, black obelisk, and a statue of a pair of red sentients shattering the core of a blue sentient was proudly displayed in front of the obelisk.

"I would definitely not vacation here," said Stanford. Vert nodded, aware that no one could see the motion. "Bloody hell. This…" He trailed off.

"Looks like hell, if you ask me," said Agura. The Tangler rolled forward a few feet. "This is like nothing I've ever seen."

Vert's gaze swept the piles of rubble around the corners of the buildings. He did a double take and his stomach dropped. No, not rubble. It was something far worse than that. It was the broken shells of hundreds of sentients, the husks of a dozen more species that Vert had never seen before, and piles of their personal belongings and their broken-down vehicles.

"Dear God," breathed Sherman.

Spinner audibly swallowed. "That's just not _right._ "

No, it wasn't. This zone was marked as a prison zone, not… whatever this was. A Red Sentient prison zone, but that still didn't make sense for what they were seeing. There had been cells before, but that was just for Blues, not… this. This was…

"This wasn't a prison," breathed Vert. "This was a slaughterhouse."

The entire world seemed to turn cold. Several gasps slipped from the others around him.

"There's no way," whispered Zoom. "There's just no way." His head swung toward Vert. "How could they do that? _Why_ would they do that?"

Vert pressed his lips together and shook his head, looking away from the ashy remains of long-passed carnage. His gaze found Zoom's and the two stared at each other for long moment in silence. Then, Vert took a breath and looked toward the rest of the team.

"I don't know, but we can't focus on that. We have a mission to complete." He turned his attention to Agura and Zoom. "Agura, check out the coordinates Tezz found for us. Take Zoom with you. The rest of you, with me. Whatever this zone was, I want to make sure nothing in it is going to wake up and come after us."

The five split off, Stanford and the Cortez brothers coming with Vert and Agura and Zoom taking off toward the central tower of the zone. Vert swallowed hard as the two disappeared from view. There were too many variables in this zone. Too many things that could go wrong. And that wasn't counting how freaky it was and how uneasy it made Vert. If something went wrong, if someone got hurt…

He shook it off and took a breath, focusing, instead, on the matter at hand: finding out if anything in this zone was still alive. Or, whatever the robot equivalent to alive was. Online?

Something like that.

"Split up and scour the place. I want no stone unturned," said Vert as they reached a fork in the buildings. "Stanford, can you get an echo-map of this place?"

Stanford sighed, the sound of him hitting his screen audible through the coms. "This zone is messing up my audio. Can't get a decent range, but I'll keep trying."

Well, shit. That probably wasn't good.

"Sherman, Spinner, can you get anything?" asked Vert.

"Nada," said Spinner.

Sherman chimed in with, "It's like the vehicles don't know what to do with this zone. Like they refuse to read it like a normal zone."

"Maybe it's not," said Spinner. "I mean, can't the Skeleton Key take us anywhere? We might not be in a regular zone. Maybe we're in an inter-zone, or on a planet, like Vandal, or a moon, or something."

"Maybe," said Vert. "Whatever this is, we still need to check it out." The three vehicles split off. Vert drove off to the left, slowly making his way around the various buildings that littered the zone. Between his scanners and the massive holes cut into the buildings, Vert could keep a decent enough eye on any potential threats.

He, the Buster, and the Reverb called out 'clear' whenever they passed through a section of the zone. As they moved, the map on Vert's display updated, showcasing a blue zone that meant the area had been checked and cleared of any potential threats.

Vert let the rhythm of it soothe his frayed nerves, but he couldn't detach from how disgusting this zone was. The broken shells of the Blue Sentients, the personal effects that were half covered in ash and dust, and half decomposed as well. The stains on the buildings, on the ground, in the piles of rubble and rubbish and everything else, were, if Vert had to guess, probably long dried and long-gone blood and whatever the Sentient equivalent was. Energy?

The Reds really had been monsters during the war. How had Sage forgiven them? Were the monstrous ones still around? Had they just been 'following orders'? Vert hadn't done great in history class, but even he knew the danger of complacency.

The war between the Sentients, despite everything, was still mostly a mystery to him and to the rest of Battle Force 5. Sage had never been very forward about it, but she'd never been forward about anything. The glowing connection that allowed Krytus to control her had been the biggest one. And, frankly, Vert still didn't know what Sage had been working on, back then.

A weapon, she'd said. A weapon for a bigger enemy. A final strike. A desperate measure. But he'd never found out what it was, or what it meant, or why she'd had it. Or even what that other enemy was.

Was it the Ancient Ones? Had she sensed their awakening long before anyone else? That would have been almost seven years ago. How long had Sage been worried about them? How long had she suffered alone?

Why hadn't she told anyone else?

None of it made sense.

For all Sage claimed that Sentients were supposed to be perfect, they were far from it. Almost as far from it as humans. Self-absorbed, arrogant, and overly sure of themselves and their abilities. Maybe Sage less so than other Sentients as far as Vert had noticed, but it was still a problem, and a massive one at that.

"Vert?" Zoom's voice jarred him from his methodical sweeping and his racing thoughts. Vert started and tapped his com, opening it up to the full team's channel.

"What's up?" he asked.

"We found the Meta Key," said Agura. _Thank god,_ thought Vert. Finally, some good news after everything else they'd dealt with in the last two weeks.

"Can you grab it?" he asked.

"Nope," said Zoom.

Vert frowned. "Why not?"

"You need to come see it to believe it, babe," said Zoom. He could hear something crackling over the coms. Was it static? No. It sounded deeper, angrier. Almost _alive._ "The key's up on this pillar and it's gold and purple and…" Zoom trailed off, the sound of his shock audible in the shaking of his head.

"It's glowing," said Agura. "The pillar and the key. There's a purple forcefield around it. Sherman, you remember that language you and Sage couldn't read, a while back?"

"Primordial?" asked Sherman. Spinner's voice was in the background, awed and worried in equal measures. Vert swallowed. "It's Primordial?"

"Yeah," said Agura.

"Don't touch it!" The fear that ripped through the coms in Sherman's voice stopped Vert cold. The entire world seemed to slow. "If it's… it can't be. It's not possible."

"What's not possible?" asked Vert, fearing the answer even as he spoke the question.

"The key's active," said Sherman. "We're out of time. It's trying to find the gate."

Vert stared at his displays for a long moment, unable to speak, unable to breathe. Everyone else was silent as well. Fear hung around Vert like a living, breathing thing.

Vert swallowed and forced himself to breathe. He had to _breathe_. If they could stop the key from finding the gate. They could stop this. It wasn't over yet. "Battle Force 5," said Vert, well aware that his voice was shaking. "Meet at Agura and Zoom's coordinates. We're stopping this, now. We're not letting the Ancient Ones wake up." With that, he floored the gas and headed toward the GPS locations of the Chopper and Tangler.

He had to think of a plan, and fast. If they failed this, then the world would end, the multiverse would end, and everything would be over.

He couldn't let that happen.

He wouldn't let that happen.


End file.
